Kingdom Hearts: Battle Of Twilight
by chasingfireflies
Summary: Sora, Riku and Kairi have been called out on a new mission. Bad news: Sora's got a haircut and Romantic issues. Good News: None. When Sora gets infected with a darkness disease, can they save him AND the worlds? SoKai, eventual RikuOC.
1. The King's Seal

Disclaimer: not only do I not own kingdom hearts, or Disney movies, characters or settings, I don't own this story! Kidding, I wrote it. On my laptop. I was bored. If I owned kingdom hearts, I wouldn't be, now, would I? 

The only character I own in this chapter is eeeeeevil. 'ray!!! I lack the ability to put work into things so don't be surprised if this is discontinued… -.-

…

**Roxas: ha! Peaf's gonna grow up and be a-**

Me: SHUT UP ROXAS!

[smiles evilly

I have ideas for you, my boy, I'm the writer…

**Roxas: … What does that mean…?**

Me: It means my typing decides you. Shall I give you a toilet brush head? Or make you bald? Or kill you off entirely…? See? Don't make me angry Mr. Roxas.

**Roxas: … [crawls into foetal position**

* * *

**Kingdom Hearts III - Battle for Twilight**

By RockCityRoadStar

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since the two of them had come home, both boys struggling to settle back in. Mainly for varied reasons- one in particular that they both had trouble with, something that both Riku and Sora could _totally_ agree on-

Island life was _boring._

It wasn't their fault, honestly. It was everyone else's… well, that's how they both saw it, anyway. After all, both boys had spent almost two years out gallivanting in different worlds, sometimes saving it, sometimes _majorly_ screwing it up (hey, it wasn't Riku's fault he was possessed by some ugly yellow eyed insane person… ahem Ansem cough cough…. With some strange issues with the concept of light). But that wasn't the point, was it? The point was, the silver haired, competitive, often-emo, ex-evil-incarnated, Riku, and the gravity-defying-brown haired kid with the knack for having an inflated sense of hilarity at the _worst_ of times, Sora, just weren't suited for normal life.

They longed for adventure, and battle, and the beheading of evil shadowy creatures of darkness by their own unique keyblades. There was just _one_ little problem with their sense of adventure- Kairi, their redheaded, female friend. She relished having them back from their long journey after a year of being alone and unable to remember them (namely Sora, she still remembered Riku).

And she wasn't going to let them go anywhere, let alone without her.

_Anywhere_.



"Kairi, this is the sixth shopping trip you've taken us on in two weeks, can't you give it a rest?" Sora pleaded as, yet again, he was dragged through the local shopping centre to look at the same things in the same shops that they, as to say Kairi, Riku, Selphie, and himself, had seen, not only the day before, but also the day before that, and the day before _that_, and, well… You. Get. The. Picture…

When using the term _dragged_, also, please do think of it in a literal sense. So as to say- Kairi had his arm in a death grip and didn't let go of him for anything except her caramel latte (which he was actually quite thankful for, as he needed to get rid of a cramp in his fingers from carrying her bags all day, and also the recently-inspired coffee addict really needed a fix at the time).

Kairi shot him a look, almost a glare before turning her eyes back to the shop window.

"Nope, I'm not done yet," she told him happily. Riku glanced lethargically at her in her pink dress for the umpteenth time in the past hour.

"When will you be done?" he asked simply, a man of few words.

"Never!" she replied victoriously, indicating them to look at a skirt in the window for their opinions. Riku rolled his eyes and looked away pointedly, leaving the dirty work to Sora and ignoring his visual pleas.

"If I say that I'll pay for everything you get, can we do something _fun _tomorrow, Kairi," Sora sighed, defeated. Kairi turned to him, delighted and bewildered at the same time.

"As long as it's not me sitting there watching you two going at it with keys all day," she said knowingly. "Until you have something better to do, this _is _fun, my simple minded boy."

Riku grunted, almost a laugh. It was his equivalent to a laugh, anyway.

"How you find this _fun _I'll never understand," Sora sighed exasperatedly.

"Maybe so," Kairi replied quickly, barely sympathetic. "But you're still paying." She smiled at him sweetly before he swapped a glance with Riku.

"_Now _do you see my point? Once she's burned through my wallet, she's onto yours," he laughed. "So, plan B, is it?"

"Plan B it is," Riku agreed sullenly, a smile touching the edges of his mouth as Kairi was left to ponder exactly_ what_ plan B was.

She didn't have to wait long- all she comprehended in the next few moments was Sora's cheeky grin and Riku's expectant gaze before Sora's arms slipped around her waist and she was hauled over his shoulder with a short shout on her part. She heard Sora laughing, and could feel his shoulder shaking beneath her as he marched out of the shopping centre with Riku on his heels.

Kairi jutted her elbow into his back aggressively and he stopped.

"What was that?" he asked her playfully. "Did you hit me?" As if to prove a point, she did again. He laughed and started walking again. "Kairi, you hit like a girl," he pointed out softly. She kicked him and he stopped again.

"Put me down," she told him sharply. Surprisingly, he complied. She looked at him with her azure eyes, intending to berate him, but stopped when she saw his face. He looked, not only stumped, but a little jealous. Of what, she didn't know, until she turned to see him looking at Selphie and Tidus walking down the road hand in hand. Amazingly, Riku stopped beside them with his equivalent of the same bewildered stare (minus the slight jealousy).

"Selphie's… dating… Tidus…" Sora murmured, disorientated.

"When did _that _happen?" Riku said quietly. Then he laughed. "Guess she was right with the pointers she gave you," he added. Sora looked at him, slightly taken aback.

"Guess so," he replied. He shook his head and turned to Kairi. When he was met only with a blank stare, he decided to coax the situation. "You were about to yell at me, I think," he told her, giving her his genuine Sora grin as he scratched the back of his head. She just shook her head and turned to walk away sadly.

Curiously, he watched her go. "What was that?" he asked himself quietly, totally bemused.

Riku clapped him on the shoulder tiredly. "I think she thinks you gave Selphie the '_I like you and you're dating someone else_' look. You'll fix it," Riku told him, the most he'd said in a long time. Then he raised an eyebrow with a doubtful look in his eyes. "Maybe."

Sora winced. "But I don't. And I wouldn't. _Ever_. And even if I did, there's a _look_ for that? And why would Kairi _care_?" he asked loudly, unbelievably left in the dark for a boy like himself. "Girls are so…_ confusing_," he mused, walking off to think on it as he waved Riku off, leaving him behind to do whatever Riku did through the day (a/n, that's probably just sleeping and staring contests with the wall, lol). Riku stood there.

And laughed.



Kairi was suddenly depressed. She had expected heartbreak at some point in her life, but not in such a literal sense. Yet, there was an ache in her chest that wouldn't go away, and it left her feeling absolutely horrible. And why was this?

It was because she'd seen the one guy she was totally infatuated with give someone else 'the look'.

And it hurt. Like _hell_. Which she didn't get in even the _slightest._ Though the truth was staring her straight in the face, she overlooked it- she _knew _it was just a crush, an infatuation… or… she thought she did. At heart she knew it was actually something more than that. There wasn't just a doubt that it was only a crush on Sora, there was _every_ possibility that she was in _love_ with the guy. But she wasn't the one he was giving 'the look' to (a/n, yes, I realise that all the 'romantic' stuff isn't just 'looks', I just really got writers block today and I'm rattling on about absolute crap… thus the a/n, lol).

And in mourning over her heartbreak (which was totally uncalled for since she was actually rather delusional at the time that said 'look' had happened having been upside-down and made dizzy, courtesy of Sora) she managed not only to miss twelve calls from Riku and Selphie regarding various events of the day, but also an invitation to a rather large party at a friend's place and a few calls from the boy himself.

And that only worried him.

Staring at her computer boredly, Kairi realised her fatal mistake. She hadn't blocked Sora from her IM.

**KeyBladeBOY:** Kairi is leaving me in the dark here, did I do something?

She hesitated, staring forlornly at the message. Indecisively, she continued to stare at it for a few minutes, apparently agitating him.

**KeyBladeBOY: **I know you're there.

**KairiIslandPrincess: **Stalker.

**KeyBladeBOY: **None other than. :D Now there's the Kairi I know and love.

She smiled- she _wished_ he meant that.

**KairiIslandPrincess: **Psyche, this is her mother.

**KeyBladeBOY:** Nice try, Kai, but no, you failed. Care to tell me what was up with

you today?

**KairiIslandPrincess: **Nope. That would involve you being here.

**KeyBladeBOY:** That can be arranged.

**KeyBladeBOY: **Unless you're going to put the beat down on me…

**KeyBladeBOY:** …

**KeyBladeBOY: **In which case I'm hiding under the bed until I'm twenty-six…

**KeyBladeBOY: **I don't fancy that thought, several years under the bed with the dust

and the bogeyman…

**KairiIslandPrincess: **I want chocolate. Have fun fighting the dust mites. Fearsome

little critters. Probably remind you of Heartless.

**KeyBladeBOY: **lol, I can't give you chocolate, Kai, buuuuuuuut….

She shifted in her chair wondering exactly _what _he could give her. She barely jumped when she heard a tap on her window. With a last eager glance at the screen, she turned to the window checking to see if there was something out there. There was nothing, but the girl had had too many close calls with the darkness to pass it off as _nothing. _And it didn't help that Naminé chose that moment to access her telepathic link.

_You'll never win against an enemy if your mind's on a boy._

Kairi rolled her eyes, pulling open the sliding doors and walking into the backyard, bare feet freezing on the cold tiles. She looked around warily, shrugged and headed back to the door, again wondering exactly what Sora could give her. Lost in her thoughts she didn't hear someone land softly on the ground behind her (so as to say they weren't _falling_, they were _flying_).

"You wanna know a secret?"

Kairi stopped, hugging herself for warmth as a smile alighted her lips- what could she say, Sora had a knack for escaping her gaze.

"'Cause secrets, I can do. Chocolate, nah…"

Kairi turned around slowly, azure eyes catching cerulean. "And what _kind _of a secret may that be, mister Sora?" she asked him curiously. He stepped towards her in the dark yard, eyes glinting playfully, but with another intention.

"Depends," he told her, quietly. "What kind of secrets do you like? Things that you _could _guess, or things that you _haven't_."

"Well, what _could _I guess?" she asked him curiously. Sora's eyes glazed over for a moment as he thought about the question. He seemed to decide on a different approach as he shrugged.

"Depends- exactly how smart are you, Kairi?" he asked. "I think you could guess that Riku has every intention of sneaking through a portal to the realm of darkness every night this week to find something interesting to do, that Roxas never _shuts up_, and that I _really_ don't want to go to school next week, but I think there's something you'll never guess."

"And what's that?"

"You'll have to guess," he replied smartly.

Kairi smiled, taking his hand and hugging him for warmth. Sora murmured something when she did it, but she didn't quite catch it.

"What was that?" she asked him. She heard him take a quick intake of breath, clearly only just realising he'd said something.

"What? …Uh… nothing, don't worry, I said _nothing_," he stuttered. Nice save, you'd think, especially since he'd just murmured subconsciously that he loved her, and he was _so _not ready to have that out in the open.

_Idiot,_ Roxas told him disappointedly. Quickly, he told Namine what was going on, causing the blonde to smile on the inside (because yes, they get to talk mentally!!).

_I know something you don't know,_she didn't hesitate to annoy Kairi with said new information. However, despite it being _major _blackmail material, the blonde girl decided to let her have it. _Sora liiiiiiiiiiiiiikes you! _She sung. Literally, sung. In Kairi's head- and yes, it hurt, causing her to wince in Sora's arms.

He laughed. "Nobody troubles?"

She smiled, pressing herself into his shirt for warmth. "She doesn't just not shut up, she _sings_ now," Kairi told him with hilarity. He sniggered.

"Think happy thoughts, Kairi, and forget about your worries," he told her, beginning to hover above the ground even as he said it. "And maybe Namine's singing will improve."

"No worries… I like the sound of that."

"Hakuna Matata," Sora murmured. "Look down."

Kairi did, tightening her hold around his waist as she did so. She bit back a short yell as she realised they were _flying_, yet somewhere in her heart, she realised she wasn't extremely surprised at what the boy could do- the keyblade master was a strange person, that was why she liked him so much.

"Happy thoughts, Kairi," he repeated, catching her eyes with his. He pulled her closer as she shivered, smiling as she laughed at the experience- flying was _fun_. "I won't let you fall."



"Nothing's changed."

"Nothing will."

Riku and Sora sat on the bent paopu tree, commenting on their island, severely bored and making conversation to overcome it- after all, they had _promised_ Kairi that they wouldn't spar… the real reason they weren't was because she was somewhere on the island with them and if she caught them at it they were as good as dead.

"Where do you think the door to the light comes from- what is it?" Sora asked elusively, breaking the lull in their conversation. Riku replied silently by tapping Sora's chest, near his heart.

"Sometimes it's closer than you think."

Speaking of 'closer that you think', Kairi ran up, bottle in hand, and handed it deftly to Sora. He glanced at it curiously; realising there was a letter inside marked with none other than the king's seal. Exchanging a look with Riku, he pulled the letter out, unrolling it quickly.

_Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi,_

_I'm sorry to cut your vacation short, but we're facing a tad of trouble here and we need some more keyblades on our side to fight the darkness. All you need to know is that there is a new third party taking the position of Organization XII. A friend will be sent to pick you up before school starts, I encourage that you pack whatever you need quickly and be ready- attack may come at any time._

_Again, sorry about cutting your vacation REALLY short…_

_From your friends, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey._

"Well that was rather blunt," Riku commented quickly. Sora smiled, crumpling up the letter and watching it burn in his palm as he utilised his fire spell, then high-fived Riku.

"No more sitting around doing nothing, no fear of doing maths this year, no more _shopping_," he exclaimed happily. "The list goes on!"

Kairi had a certain blankness about her again as she thought over it.

"You're leaving again?" she asked quietly. Sora turned to her, stunned.

"Kairi… you're name was on there too, you're coming with us…" he told her, not noticing as Riku backed away.

"See you, I'm off!" he shouted rushing to his boat and leaving Sora to deal with a stricken Kairi. He sat down on the tree again and she sat next to him, deep in thought. They were silent for some time as their nobodies both bugged them.

_Sora,_ Roxas taunted, elongating the vowels. _Now is the perfect time to pull a move. _Sora rolled his eyes, mentally beating Roxas into silence. Finally, he shut the boy up, smiling to himself proudly for achieving it. Little did he know, Kairi was having the same problem.

_Kairi,_ Naminé told her, again, dragging out the vowels. _Tell him how you feel, and I'm not just talking about leaving the island… He likes you- LIKE, like, if you catch my drift._

_**GOT IT, Naminé, but even if he does, HE has to say it.**_ Kairi thought boldly. Lord behold girls and their ideas of guys confessing first, let's just call Kairi old fashioned.

"I don't want to leave, really," Kairi told him softly. "I find it fun here, it's… home…" She felt Sora's hand on her shoulder as he tried to reassure her.

"It always will be," he replied quietly. "But other friends with other homes are in trouble and if we don't go out to help them then, well…" He tailed off, allowing her mind to wander and mull over exactly _what _would happen. "And," he added, "you did say you wanted to see the worlds… when you aren't with the bad guys."

"You have to teach me to fly," she said stonily. "Compensation." Sora just laughed and stood up, pulling her with him as he did so.

"School starts in two days, we better get packing," he told her, dragging her along by the hand. As they walked along the beach, Kairi blushing slightly as she slid her hand into his to find it the perfect fit, Sora grunted. "I didn't even tell you that secret yet," he murmured, grinning to himself. "Lucky me…"

Am I lacking in the length factor or the interest factor or what? Flame me!!!! Really, I want criticism… constructive, if possible. I'm putting something interesting in the next chapter. Something… negative sounds fun. Like… battle maybe? Rofl, this is my 8th page on word. Ah! That's funny. Uhm… I'm a newbie fanfic writer, it's harder than it looks…

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'TILL NEXT CHAPTER, DUCKIES!!!

From Peafy :D


	2. Axel's 'Subtle' Return and Jack's Visit

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I'd have better things to do than write stupid stories about said game. But I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Final Fantasy, or David Boreanaz's voice (he voices Leon, jsyk, but I've got NO idea what I'd do with his voice anyway, so meh…) Also, I clearly don't have any good movies to watch, either, because I'm lacking in the dollar factor at the moment… donations plx?

Roxas: she's being honest- she would be happy to own the Newcastle Bum's jacket.

Me: … -.- …

Roxas: Do-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-on't give me that look. PLEASE!!! NOOOOOO! I pissed

her off…

Me: Smart move, ducky. Ever heard of quicksand???

Roxas: …

… no… why…?

Me: 'Cause… YOU'RE WALKING ON IT, _buddy…_

Sora: **puts on stern voice** Leave the poor boy alone, Nikki…

Me: sympathetic face Aww… no romantic breaks for Sorey…

Sora: You _wouldn't_… no… you would, wouldn't you…? -.- PLEASE!!! NO!!! I _NEED _TO STOP BEING AN UNDERCONFIDENT GIT AROUND GIRLS!!! DON'T START TYPING!!!

Me: hehe… being the author is fun… **evil grin**

Sora and Roxas back away slowly

Anyway, to end my extremely long disclaimer, I must remind you I own nothing except the clothes I'm wearing, this here story, and one character who may or may not enter this chapter… I have yet to decide… NO I DO NOT OWN THIS LAPTOP!!!

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**Chapter 2 :)**

"I think the king lied," Sora murmured, rather self-conscious about wearing his school uniform. He glared at his new blue locker tiredly as people started to arrive at the high school. He tugged at the collar of his white shirt, totally giving up on the royal blue tie and stuffing it in the left pocket of his dark grey cargo pants that were slimly considered school uniform, leaving the ends of the tie hanging out messily. "Lame," he commented briefly, earning a grunt from Riku in reply. "And remind me why you made me come to school _early_ when we're not even supposed to be on world?"

"Maybe the king got the date wrong," Riku answered slowly. He glanced at something over Sora's shoulder, raising an eyebrow indifferently as he leant on a locker quietly. "Not exactly subtle, is he?"

Sora whirled around quickly to see a red-headed man stumbling down the corridor quickly, shouting something unintelligible rather loudly. Upon sighting the two boys, he tripped over in their general direction, landing on the floor at their feet. Sora raised an eyebrow too, scratching the back of his head with a gloved hand.

"Roxas, m'boy," the man stuttered, looking up from the floor.

"It's Sora. _Soar-_ah!" he spelt out slowly in reply, a blank look on his face. He wasn't exactly _surprised _at the man's random though impossible visit. "And Axel, I don't know whether to kick you, or help you up."

Riku grunted a laugh. "You could help him up, and _then _kick him…"

"Fair point," Sora replied slowly, contemplating the idea thoroughly. He reached out his hand and helped Axel up, studying his tattooed face curiously before kicking him in the shins. "That's for kidnapping Kairi," he explained simply as the older man yelped, hopping on one foot as he held his other leg in his hands. "And last I checked… uh… weren't you kinda… _dead_?"

Axel opened his mouth to reply, then closed it, seeming to think about it. He hesitated, then tried again. "I _was_… now I'm _not_…" he said, criminally lacking in the details. "And _now_ I'm free to peruse all the _hot _babes around here!" Sora rolled his eyes and turned to Riku, boredly flicking with the tie from his pocket.

"Think Kairi's gonna make us stay 'till lunch if we don't leave soon?" he asked illicitly. Riku just nodded, then looked at Axel again, who was looking around at the people in the corridor, 'perusing' all the girls.

"And may I ask exactly why your paedophilic being is here?" he asked. Axel blinked.

"Awww… C'mon, man, at least admit I'm your _favourite_ paedophile!" he stammered uncertainly, waiting for an answer. Sora looked at him strangely, hesitating before blurting out his next sentence.

"Dude! You're the _only _paedophile we _know_, I think we're quite _lucky_ that you're the only one," he exclaimed, his tone more like Roxas than Sora. He blinked and slapped his head. "Stupid Roxas, never shuts up."

"Even so, he's not a paedophile as such, he just has a tendency to look at every girl he meets," someone added, walking up to the group and joining them quickly, her school uniform actually seeming to fit comfortably. Sora smiled and nodded complacently at Kairi's comment before she repeated Riku's question. "So exactly what _are_ you doing here, Axel?"

"The King sent me to pick you two and the princess here up," he explained simply, singling Kairi out. She blushed slightly at the reference before raising an eyebrow and turning to Sora. She eyed him critically, eyes catching on the tie hanging out of his pocket. She smiled.

"You had to wear your uniform, least you can do is finish the ensemble," she told him simply, grabbing his tie and pulling it out. He watched her boredly as she fiddled with his collar and began to put the tie around his neck. Surprisingly, he chose not to object, accepting that she wouldn't drop the subject until he had the tie securely around his neck.

"I'm amazed they aren't married yet," Axel commented briefly, watching the scene interestedly. Riku grunted non-commitedly in reply.

"I'm amazed that they aren't _dating_ yet," he murmured, knowing full well that both his friends could hear. As such, both Kairi and Sora respectively blushed more than just a _little_. She finished the knot of his tie with fumbling fingers, before her hands rested softly on his chest. They both looked up, catching each other's eyes. Sora looked as if he were about to say something before they both stepped back, Kairi brushing herself off as they averted eyes awkwardly. Riku grunted. "It's your fault," he said simply to Axel, turning to walk down the corridor slowly, bookbag over his shoulder filled with the clothes and necessities he'd need for the journey ahead. Axel gaped after him before his brown-haired friend shot past, heading after the silver-haired boy.

Kairi then walked past him thoughtfully, auburn hair flicking around in the soft breeze. She turned to him quietly, and smiled at him.

"I thought _you _were the escort, why are they leading?" she asked happily. He blinked, then jumped to life.

"Follow me, Princess. Your ship awaits," she shook her head slightly walking with him after the other two boys, disliking the formality.

"That's Kairi to you."

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The ship was rather blatant, that was for sure.

There was no interest to it for Sora. It was white, it was small, and it was weaponless. A simple carrier ship and nothing more. To be simple, it was boring.

Now battleships were his deal. Always had been. He absolutely _loved _building Gummi Ships. Mostly because he packed out most ships with seven or eight weapon systems, minimum. Then there was the _colouring_ of the ship. He often liked to make the ships look absolutely _outrageous_. But this ship wasn't interesting at all- it was plain white with no weapons _whatsoever_. And it ruined his day.

Of course, his day hadn't gotten off to a great start, anyway. He'd been woken up by his mother because '_Riku dropped in saying something about getting to school early for something important_'. Phooey! There was nothing even _remotely_ important at school. But Sora, trusting his best friend, turned up early anyway, of course. And that was _not good_. Why, you ask? Well, to put it lightly, Sora was not a morning person. 'Not' being in capitols, bold print, italics, font 72, and underlined several times.

So he'd gotten to school half asleep, and had a pointless chat to Mr. 'I'm-not-going-to-open-up-to-anybody-because-I'm-still-morbidly-ashamed-of-being-possessed-by-a-psychotic-evil-guy' about why they _still _hadn't been picked up by his majesty the king's aforementioned 'friend', before Axel (said aforementioned 'friend') interrupted.

And he'd had a criminally interrupted moment with Kairi.

_So _not his scene. Romance just wasn't his deal, what could he say. After all, what relation was there between the slicing and dicing of heartless and the technique of wooing a woman- for that was what his childhood friend, Kairi, had become. An elegant and poised woman, and in his eyes she was more than likely to be _way_ out of his league. That was probably just a tiny part of why he couldn't confess his feelings to her. He'd been on the verge of it several times in the past few weeks, but hadn't actually been able to actually _say _it.

And it pissed him off.

Another reason he didn't say exactly what he meant to (or anything _near_ what he wanted to) was that he often found himself not just uncertain of the girl's feelings or emotions, but (to put it bluntly) excessively _afraid_ of her. He found it strange that he could rush into a fight with an elite member of Organization XIII, a big boss person with unbelievable power, or an ugly ferocious and scary lookin' heartless boss without a second thought or even the slightest amount of fear, but when it came to Kairi he just_ froze_. He was scared of what she might do to him, to his heart, and he wasn't in the slightest bit denying it- she absolutely _terrified_ him.

That pissed him off too.

But that wasn't the point at the time, the point was- Axel's Gummi Ship was _boring_. It was simple, it was dull, it was blank, it was a bloody _clean slate_, and he couldn't help but wonder if that was the image the former Organization member was trying to purvey. If it was, the pyromaniac's heart was on his sleeve… assuming he had his heart back… so let's rule it as _figuratively_… as it should be.

He shrugged. He'd be away from the white piece of space junk soon enough- it was, after all, built for speed…

… And _only _speed…

But he continued to stare at the ship boredly, lost in thoughts of exactly what Axel was doing back from the dead, what was going on with the entirety of the worlds that caused the King to (thankfully) pull them out of their 'vacation' right before school started, and, mostly, exactly _what _he was going to do about his feelings for Kairi.

And speak of the devil, over she walked with the man of the hour, Axel, who was only the man of the hour, really, because he was the one with _keys _to the damned ship, and Sora and Riku had been standing there waiting for him for _half-a-bloody HOUR_!!! And Sora wasn't one to be patient.

"_Finally!_" he hissed boredly, seeing both redheads' heads jerk up (a/n. rofl, didn't mean to use head right next to each other, I'm lacking in vocab here) at the word.

"Don't talk to the Princess like that, Roxas! It's pleasantries and formalities, bud!" Axel cleared up strictly. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't talking to '_her highness_'," he replied sarcastically. "I was talking to _you_, ya lummox. And it's _Sora_. _SOAR-UH!_ Not Roxas!" he clarified frustratedly. "_Got it memorized_!?!" he mocked. Axel smiled.

"Roxas's got style," he commented. Sora slapped his forehead and sighed while Kairi giggled at his behaviour. He made a non-committal hand gesture in Axel's direction and pulled on the knot of his tie sadly, loosening it slightly from around his neck.

"Just… _open_ the hatch, Axel. If you _can_ do that," he murmured tiredly, relenting as he heard it open behind him. He turned and began up the ramp before Axel stopped him with a shout.

"Stop, Roxas, where's your manners. The princess goes first," he spelled out slowly. Kairi stepped forward with a surprised look on her face as Sora turned to glare at Axel bitterly. "Formalities, Roxas!" he repeated as Kairi neared the brown haired boy. Sora exchanged a questioning look with the approaching Kairi before looking at Axel again stiffly. Then he returned his gaze to the princess slowly.

"Princess," he murmured softly, reminding himself of his inferiority to her. She stuck her tongue out at him tauntingly as she walked past and he smiled a little. But only a little. He felt convicted, and it was _not _a nice feeling.

Truth was, he realised he was condemned to a lifetime of service to said princess among others, and every order was one he _had _to follow- requests includedThankfully, the politics would _hopefully_ be more left to said aristocrats. Politics. Something he couldn't help but respect people for dealing with. Come to think of it, he'd been in a _few_ political situations of his own. Just a _few_. Really, he could figure it out in moments as he followed the seventh princess into the boringly blank gummi ship, he'd just never thought about it before…

He was screwed.

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

"This is the _last _time I _ever_ let you pilot a gummi ship," Sora hissed loudly, stumbling off the white ship onto the dock in Disney castle. Axel protested noisily, but Sora ignored him, gripping his stomach. "_Ever_," he hissed convictingly. "Unless you get lessons. Lots and _lots_a lessons…"

"C'mon Roxas, I'm not _that _bad of a pilot!" Axel complained. Riku, stumbled out after him dizzily, eyes half crossed.

"I beg to differ."

"Even my first flight wasn't that bad… though my fourth I crashed…" Sora reminisced groggily. "But even _then _I didn't get _motion sick_ from it…" He took a few moments to breathe evenly, trying to settle his stomach with reasonable luck. Fortunate for him as two furry brown creatures crawled up his leg and body to his shoulder, rushing him with their excitement. The two chipmunks examined him carefully from their shouldered position.

"Geez, Sora, you don't look too good…" Chip squeaked worriedly, still excited for the Keyblade master's return.

"Yeah, did something happen on the way here?" Dale added suspiciously. Sora smiled, clutching his stomach at the mere suggestion of the flight. He shot another glare at Axel and opted to speak, but closed his mouth almost immediately as he felt another wave of nausea threaten him. At this point, Kairi emerged from the now dented white gummi ship, having opted to stay sitting down as she waited for the sickness to pass- and turning out the better for it. She took an unsurprised glance at the talking chipmunks and replied for Sora.

"Axel can't fly," she said simply, walking over to Sora and putting her hand on his back supportively. She smiled. "Told you that you shouldn't've gotten up," she told him sympathetically. He smiled as the chipmunks ran over to Axel and began berating him on his poor piloting skills.

One hand firmly on the rail leading around the dock and the other lifted to scratch his head, he paused. He could hear feet hitting the floor. Familiar sounding floor bashing. He was obliged to duck for cover, and fully planning to do so, but realising it was much too late for that, he simply took a step away from Kairi.

_**Crash!**_

And for what was perhaps the fiftieth time in the past two or three years, he was squashed underneath a duck and a dog. Indeed, they made a strange group, and odd habits like said crushing of the keyblade boy were what _could _have infact been considered _tradition _among the three friends. _Unofficial _tradition that was bone-crushing and frowned upon by the keyblade master.

He groaned in pain, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.

"I know you missed me, but would it be possible to greet me in a way _not _physically painful?" he grunted, pushing himself up with the two of them still on his back. The duck, the king's magically acquainted advisor, shot the keyblade master a short glare and raised his staff threateningly, but the dog, Goofy, the royal defence captain and king's guard, gave him a quick pat on the head to calm him down, and spoke to Sora.

"Hyuck… We're sorry," he said modestly, "but we just got kinda excited to see ya Sora!" The brown haired boy grinned in reply, happy to be missed.

"'S'ok Goofy," he assured happily. "I'm just a little outta practise. You'll be able to crush me again in no time flat!" Goofy laughed in reply, while Donald fixed Sora with a stern look.

"You still need a haircut, though," the duck squawked confrontingly. Sora's eyes widened in comprehension, but when he spoke he sounded bored and repetitive.

"Not this _again_…" he complained, hanging his head and fixing Donald with an exasperated expression. "You won't get it done, Donald. Even if you pay off the fairies to- oh no, I just had to say it, didn't I…?"

He was clearly disappointed with his indiscretion. He'd given the duck a good idea. He was doomed. And Kairi giggled at his foolishness before they were both led out of the hangar by the two of the king's vassals, Riku and Axel in tow.

They were led through the castle's courtyard, Axel itching to light some of the flower bushes on fire and quickly getting his hands slapped back by Donald as he began to raise his fingers with intent to follow through with said urge. Kairi looked around in wonder, eyeing the brooms and various other inhabitants of the castle that were really just self-moving utensils. Riku eyed the layout of the castle warily, setting it to memory in case of need for the strategic information in the future. Sora, of course, was as at home there as he was anywhere, and walked along in animated chat with Goofy about everything that had happened while he'd been vacationing, one hand behind his head in a familiar pose. Their conversation was punctuated by a greeting from the balcony of the next floor up.

"Sora!" someone shouted out loudly. The skeleton man's thin figure showed he was, infact, not from this world. Sora, ecstatically confused and clearly not afraid to show it, looked at the skeleton in pinstripes for less then a minute, shrugged off the confusion, and replied.

"How's it been, Jack?" he asked simply, not even questioning the Halloween town number one resident's presence. The skeleton's fingers clacked on the stone railing as he surveyed Sora's party with the black sockets that were his eyes. He shrugged with thin shoulders and a small amount of worry showed on his bony face as the bone around his eyes (for lack of a better description) contorted much like the face of someone with skin. Then he smiled. (a/n. Jack Skellington does, infact, have the ability to make facial expressions with his skull. He rocks.)

"If I said we were fine back home, I'd be lying, my boy. Sandy and I had to come see the king about a young human girl terrorizing the citizens of both towns," he explained, waiting as Sora, Donald and Goofy came to join him. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"Terrorizing… Halloween town…?" he asked curiously. "Is that… possible?"

Jack laughed. "Why yes! The black haired youth has been scaring the bogeyman into hiding _under _the covers! It's like she has two personalities!" Jack explained, oddly happy for a man at the castle on _that _kind of business. "She sent Lock, Shock and Barrel on a good streak. They wear frilly pink clothing now, and actually do as they're told…" The skeleton seemed to think about it for a moment. "It was good for a time, but it got rather boring after a while."

_Ask him about the girl_ Roxas echoed in Sora's head.

"Uh, Jack? The girl. Who is she?" Sora asked, complying with his nobody's wishes. He raised an eyebrow as his pinstripe-wearing friend jumped at the question. "Who's she work for, etcetera?"

"Aah, right, the girl's name…" Jack thought, tapping his fingers on the side of his skull. He scratched his head, furrowing his brow as he tried to remember. "I recall… an 'L' somewhere in the name… Sorry, Sora, I forgot." Sora just shook his head and passed it off, scratching his own head as his other friends caught up. Jack eyed them all again, then pointed at Axel. "I don't know this one, but he looks like he belongs in my world," he commented. Sora snorted, while Donald and Goofy chuckled at the joke.

"His name's Axel," Donald explained briefly, whacking Sora upside the head to stop him from laughing too much. As he did so, Jack turned to Kairi and Riku, smiling his warmest smile (a/n. I know he's a skeleton, but Jack has a warmth about him that most people lack. This may be because he is a fictional character, but meh, he's too radd for the rest of ya's, jks).

"You must be Kairi and Riku," he greeted kindly. "Sora's told me much about you. Especially you, Princess."

Sora blushed and ran down the corridor hurriedly, pulling the skeleton with him before more was said, Donald and Goofy protesting at his heels as he headed to the library. "So why's Santa come with you?" he asked loudly, changing the subject quickly as they ran.

"Christmas town's being terrorized too," Jack replied, taking in the boy's face. "You're awful red in the face, Sora," he commented briefly. Sora frowned, stopping infront of the library doors.

"I know- if I blush much more, I'll have no blood left to function."

At the other end of the corridor, Riku and Kairi began to follow slowly, Axel blazing ahead of them. Riku grunted and rolled his eyes at Sora's behaviour, and Kairi blushed lightly at what had been said. Riku, seeing a chance to help his best friends out with the newfound awkward gap in their relationship that seemed to grow every time it was brought up, commented quietly.

"He _really_ likes you, y'know," he stated to Kairi simply. She smiled and nodded, every part of her _reeking _of expectance.

"I know."

"And you like him too," Riku stated, not even questioning the fact in the slightest- it was criminally obvious. To _anyone_. Kairi didn't reply, so Riku continued, this time with a question. "Why don't you tell him?" Kairi shook her head and Riku rolled his eyes for the millionth time in the past few days- it was becoming a bad habit. "Why not? You're the outgoing one when it comes to relationships. He's mainly designed for 'hack there, hit there, spell here'. Confess already so I don't have to watch this get awkward." Kairi smiled.

"That's his job," she replied simply. Riku rolled his eyes, this time feeling a clenching feeling in his gut- the sensation alerting to him to a problem that was probably going to have to do with the pair's hopefully soon to blossom relationship. He knew it.

If Sora didn't confess very soon, he probably wouldn't ever get the chance.



"There's a new opponent in play, boys," King Mickey told them quickly. "And girl," he added, noting Kairi's presence. Then he continued. "They're called the Symbiant, and it seems they're out for blood…"

* * *

Uhm… I would've kept going, but I'm on my ninth page. I'll write ten or eleven next time… including the disclaimer. Uh… can you guess my owned character yet? Someone give me ideas. I need inspiration.

Reviews and vanilla coke are my addictions. :)

Vanilla coke, you can't give me, but some reviews would be good!!!!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME, DUCKIES!!!


	3. An Unexpected Twist and an Arrow

Replying to first review ever (thank you, thank you) because I only posted chapter one and hour ago… oh look, this is three! Do remember, this disclaimer was also written yesterday, so heh.

**Paradox: Today you are my favourite person in the world, too bad if ya disagree with my musings on lameness, I'm a pessimist, too bad. Thank you for the Christmas present, I tell you again. You are awesome. :) **

ALERT: some OOCness in following chapter for Sora.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, I have said so before. Nor do I own Disney characters, settings, landmark, worlds, anything created by Tim Burton (except a copy of the Nightmare Before Christmas DVD), or anything by Final Fantasy. I own my face, a three guitars (one's a weenie one though), a massive temper, and an intense hatred of Roxas, only because he's voiced by Jesse McCartney.

Roxas: Wha-!

Me: I SWEAR TO GOD ROXAS, IF YOU RIP ME OFF, I WILL KILL YOU OFF!!! I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT I WILL BEGAN EVIL PLOTTING WITH MY FRIEND KEEVERS ANY DAY NOW, JUST YOU WAIT!!!

I also own one character in this story, as well as the story itself. That character is going to be given detail in this chapter, before I forget the image. Thank you.

Yes, duckies, I remind you I do not own this laptop.

Sora: We all apologize for Nikki's strange act of violence. She got up at 12:30 today and wanted to go back to sleep another hour of the middle of the day due to sickness. Again, sorry, please try to empathise.

Me: Thank you Sora…

* * *

**Chapter Three :)**

"Alana Alyss ASHLEY!!!"

Ally hissed, sitting up in her bed and sliding her bare feet over the side to place them in her black and grey checkered shoes (a/n. Them volleys are my favourite shoes, and I wear them even though they're guys shoes- sexism is sexist, no duh!). She rolled her violet eyes, pulling her black hair up and tying it up with a Cadbury purple ribbon. She rubbed her eyes, yawning. Her self-acclaimed 'master's' angry voice didn't quite scare her. Actually, nowhere near.

She stood up slowly, avoiding the dizziness she would've felt otherwise. Note: Low blood sugar + heat _bad_ On her list of uninteresting facts that she needed to know for life, that was about number 74 of 230. And yes, she could recite the entire list.

Before any questions would be asked of the girl, she would normally clear it up from the beginning quite simply. One- if you called her Alana Alyss Ashley, Alana Alyss, or Ashley, you had just signed your death sentence. She was called Ally, Ash, Or Alyss, but none else. The only exception was formal occasions. _Very _formal occasions. Not even 'her master' was excepted from that rule- she counted every time he assumed he was and planned to one day pay him back a lifetime of pain for every time he had.

Two- her list of uninteresting facts she needed to know for life was memorised plainly because she'd had enough time to memorise all two hundred and thirty facts. She'd had nothing else to do while she was in limbo for the crimes she'd committed in her first life. Atonement wasn't high on her list, you could say. This was, infact, her seventy third life cycle, and she was, for the seventy-third time, sixteen years old. Parts of her past lives stuck with her- how to fight, speak, live, fend for herself. And the list… anything else that she'd found significant, she'd secretly recorded so she'd remember when she found her momentos again. She was always the same being when she was reborn- black hair, violet eyes, skilled with martial arts and various weapons and with the dedication, physique and skill needed for her atonement. Or destruction.

It wasn't hard to guess which she preferred.

But the one thing that changed every time she was reborn was her beginning sense of innocence. For instance, though she'd killed many times in her seventy-three lifetimes, every first kill of a life stained her newest clean state. She felt the agony of taking a life. And eventually, she felt a thirst for more. Lucky she hadn't had to kill her seventy-third first human yet. The key word being _yet_.

And three- _no one _was Ally's master. _Absolutely _no exceptions. Not for Vasaar, not for anyone.

If anyone then asked, after she'd cleared up those few things, a quite different question, like, for instance, how she'd managed to be put in limbo for _seventy-three_ life cycles, her general reply would be to punch them in the nose and run. Of course, you could really consider that the answer.

It had to do with hit and run.

In her first life, things hadn't gone quite as they should've. Indeed, after seventy-three lifetimes, she didn't really remember anything from her first life except her name. And why was that? _Because the damned thing stuck_. She hated it. Who would want three names starting with 'A'? She was always the different kid, loving anything that didn't match. After all, what was wrong with some _variety_ in life. As such, she often purposely failed tests in her ineffective civilisation just to avoid the damned letter 'A'. She'd written an entire 6 page story in an assignment once (one of her self-kept mementos of past lives) without using the cursed letter even _once_. And _then _the stupid teacher ruined the entire thing by pointing out the lack of use of the letter 'A' in her damned comment by writing said letter a million times. On the back of Ally's paper. The teacher came to an abrupt end, to put it lightly.

Ally _despised_ the damned letter, _detested _it. She all around _hated _it. Almost as much as she hated her 'master', Vasaar. But not quite. Come to think of it- Vasaar had so many 'A's in his damned title that, despite her despising him almost to the maximum, it made her detest him more.

But not much.

By this time, Ally was at the door of her room. Thinking of everything, she'd kept Vasaar waiting. For five minutes. It was only four steps to the door from her bed, too. She smiled. An unhappy Vasaar meant a happy Ally- she loved pissing him off. It made her day. And her day hadn't even started yet.

Still thinking this, she pulled on her white hooded jumper over her deep purple shirt, stuffed a few spare money in the pockets of her long black cargo pants, and proceeded to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Vasaar had already waited eight minutes, he could wait twenty more.

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

"The… Symbiant?" Sora asked, thoroughly befuddled. "What the _heck _does that mean?" (a/n. don't ask me, I made it up for a _really _long and unrelated story and decided to re use it, so heh.) Donald stamped on his foot, attempting to crush his toes. Sora smacked his hat off in reply, not really caring that he'd spoken out of line. Mickey nodded, accepting the Keyblade master's interruption calmly, and more or less approvingly, baffling the duck.

"Questions always are good ways of finding information, but only if they're the right ones," a voice said. A disbodied voice commented. Sora stood stock still, eyes narrowing, then blurted out loudly, "DAMNED CAT!" Goofy laughed, eyeing the boy simply before turning to look for the pink and purple intruder. Sora stared at the wall with a look and pose worthy of their pirate friend, Jack Sparrow. _Captain _Jack Sparrow.

"Oh how I hate that cat and his damned riddles," Sora murmured to himself. Of course, the Cheshire cat chose to appear before him, yellow eyes fixing on him surreptitiously. It grinned at him creepily and turned to the king.

"Your highness is watching the dark for the light, but the dark can be found in the light," it laughed, disappearing. "Cast the shadows into light."

Sora groaned. "Not this again," he repeated, distinctly remembering his first encounter with the cat. "He's actually telling a twisted for of the truth which finds us said darkness, but it's normally more of a trap than a hint," he explained slowly. "And now I get the feeling Wonderland needs a tad of help too."

"Can't anyone take care of themselves?" Axel wondered out loud. Sora turned to him with an evil grin,

"Why don't you find out and go fight the heartless _yourself_?" he challenged. Then the Cheshire cat spoke again.

"Darkness is strongest in light, light it strongest in darkness, experiment, young keyblade wielder. Wariness is only a caution." Sora rolled his eyes and whispered back quietly, "wariness is caution, you dip…"

King Mickey smiled slightly before answering the boy's original question. "The Symbiant is just another band of people like the Organization were, plotting something either really misunderstood, or really repetitive."

"Or really insane," Riku murmured under his breath, rather in tune with the plans of said past plotting- plotting was his other self's favourite pastime, after all.

Donald frowned, seeing that it was apparent that the only people content not to interrupt the king were himself, Goofy, and, surprisingly, the princess. She seemed to only be half listening, occasionally flicking her gaze to Sora, with something on her mind. The duck, for once, was quite observant. But not as observant as Goofy, who stepped on his foot to stop him from looking. The king continued.

"We don't know what the Symbiant intend, but we know they are taking precautions to rile up inhabitants of various worlds, like Halloween town. Jack and his acquaintance are taking you to Halloween town with them," he announced, clearing Santa Claus's name from the conversation as Sora had requested. His bugging Riku for being wrong would come in time. "They've encountered a supposed Symbiant member. We've found that she calls herself Ally." Sora and Riku grunted at the same time, then spoke in unison.

"Sounds familiar," they said, passing it off after a moment.

"That's not the end of it. We've been told she prefers to use a strange staff-like contraption in battle, and is quite skilled with said weapon. But also, she's been sighted several times using a keyblade."

"And this means?" Sora asked, somehow unsurprised by the effect of someone else having a keyblade. It wasn't seeming to be such a special trait anymore, after all.

"It's quite possible that the chasers have been reinstated and are being utilised by the Symbiant. They have unimaginable power with a keyblade, and even if they can't use one, they can manipulate another. If they have, infact been reinstated," Mickey cautioned, "it could mean the end of the worlds. Every chance at peace is deteriorating with the coming of the chasers, along with everything you accomplished in your last journey. The light's slipping away with the vacancy that's been left since the calm you created last time ended."

Sora smiled and exchanged a look with Riku. Danger sounded fun, they both knew. And this was apparently life threatening danger, everything they'd longed for on their vacation. Boredom didn't suit them. Island life didn't suit them. Civilisation didn't suit them. But battle and danger and everything else being proposed- that suited them. Another day, another life threatening mission, another adrenaline filled battle. They lusted for it. As such, with both of them thinking alike, they both smiled and again spoke together.

"It had to end sometime.

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

Sora sniffed.

He needed new clothes, yes. But being sorted over by three fairies each loving different colours was rather irritating. And they'd cut his hair.

He now wore long black pants adorned with belts and chains among other things, trailing on the floor beneath his shoes. His new boots he liked- black and electric blue and only visible under the hem of his pant legs. His shirt was black, with a blue jacket over the top much like his last view- short sleeved, hooded- that was lined with various black, red and yellow. Last of all, he had his sparkling silver chain hanging around his neck.

Yes, his new outfit beat Riku's.

No, he hadn't asked for a haircut.

But he blamed himself. He had, after all, been the one to suggest paying off the fairies in the first place. Because of that, he know sported short messy, slightly spiked hair with an extremely photogenic side-fringe. It wasn't that he didn't like it- no, he actually thought it looked good. It was that he also liked his old hairdo. It was genuine, one of a kind, Sora. And he'd grow it back eventually. _Eventually_.

He left the room with a fake smile, loosing it as soon as he was out of range. Donald was a _dead duck_. He'd make sure of it.

His mind wandered as he walked through the castle to his room. Kairi had been called back to a conference with the king after she'd had her own outfit change. He wondered what that was about after he'd gotten past thinking of how absolutely _attractive _he'd found the girl. Of course, she looked good in anything in his opinion, but he wasn't one to voice something like that, so he hadn't.

He hadn't said that he liked her new white jacket, ice blue skirt and black shirt, or the fact that her black gloves were much more _showy _than his new chain mail backed fingerless ones. Just like how he hadn't been able to tell her he loved her.

Unfortunately, after the news she gave him, he didn't think he'd ever be able to.

In more detail, after his refitting, he headed to his room. He found there none other than Kairi herself with Riku (who's new outfit was really just his old one a size or two up). Riku was staring at her bluntly. They'd looked up to him for a moment, caught by his new hairdo, before he consented to take a step back outside just to avoid their gaze. He sighed, wanting it to be morning already so they could go. Riku walked out, patted him on the shoulder.

"So clichéd, probably, but you're gonna need to sit down for this shocker," he warned briefly, before frowning and heading off to his own room. Sora was happy he'd chosen not to comment on the hairdo. As such he walked back in his room and looked curiously at Kairi, waiting for what she had to say. She looked at him sadly for a moment, before looking back to the ground. He sat on the bed next to her quietly.

"Uh…" she started, hesitating. She seemed unable to say what she was trying to and settled on what he dreaded. "Nice hair…" He just smiled. It didn't sound so mocking, coming from her.

"Something you want to say, Kairi?" he asked quietly. "Like maybe what that meeting was about…?" There was a strange tension building in the room, an awkwardness he wasn't quite used to.

"I… uh…" she began, somehow uncertain as to how to proceed. "The king said I… er… how do I say this…?" Sora smiled.

"Close your eyes and pretend you're saying it to yourself- that's how I get by," he murmured, noting that she not only closed her eyes, but squeezed them tight shut.

"I… I'm supposed to… get… get married…" she announced quietly, hands white from gripping the edge of the bed so tightly. The tension in the room pretty much doubled in that moment. Sora stared at the wall silently, mouthing an 'oh'. Kairi slowly opened her eyes, studying him hopefully. He stayed silent as his mind raced.

"Who to?" he asked her softly, his heart breaking as he said it. Riku was right, sitting down was a _really _good idea. Kairi took a short breath, uncomfortable in the silence that followed. She shook her head, denying the mere question as if it were a sign of his acceptance… which it _was_…

"Mickey didn't say particulars. He said if I don't find someone I'm willing to marry, that's willing to marry me, in the next two weeks he'll…" she tailed off, then took another breath. "He said he'd have to find someone for me. It's not his fault. He said it's written. Most princesses have arranged marriages… I didn't… and I have to… follow the rules…"

Sora stood up abruptly, pacing the room slowly. He stopped as he heard Kairi sobbing and turned to her, kneeling infront of her and making her look at him. If his heart wasn't breaking from her _getting married_, it would've from her reluctance to do so. Forced marriages were cruel. She was a princess- how many princes would there _be _to meet in two week.

"I swear to god, Kairi, I didn't know," he told her. "I wouldn't've let you come if I knew they do this to you." He took her hands in his, catching her eyes. "I'll do everything I can to get you out of this. And if I can't, we'll find you someone perfect, Kairi." Unfortunately, it was then that he realised just how absolutely _crushed _she'd become. Except he wasn't sure if it was because she was supposed to be married, or because of what he'd just said- but he assumed the first was right. She slid off the bed, put her arms around his shoulders and cried into his shirt for some time as he contemplated how to help the broken girl, his arms around her waist.

After some time, he realised she was asleep. Remembering he didn't know where her room was, he slipped her into his bed and slipped out the door, heading for the courtyard. He snuck a look around, and _struggling_ to focus on a happy thought for the first time in ages, he flew onto the roof, staring at the stars quietly as a million cuss words came to mind. He just shook his head. He knew he'd never be able to be with the princess. The thought had always been too good to be true- it would never happen, it wasn't meant to be. And for the millionth time in an hour he reminded himself that she was too good for a kid with a key like him. He was just like everyone else, really. So all least he could do was make sure she wound up with someone _good_.

Of course there was a little thing he was forgetting…

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

"Where's Sora?" Kairi asked sullenly, eyes downcast.

She'd woken in the morning in Sora's bed, wondering exactly where the boy had gone. That had been her only worry, until the tiredness wore off and her newest fate crashed down on her.

Status-

Happy Kairi: GONE

Miserable Kairi: HOW DO YOU DO?

Riku had eyed her as she approached. One night and she looked like a wreck. Disney Castle had suddenly lost it's majesty for her. Riku frowned. He didn't like it when his friends got like this. It made him feel responsible. And like beating the hell out of whoever had done it in the first place. Of course, that position was up for grabs- Mickey, in all his greatness and power, decided not to change the stupid rule and unloaded one hell of a bomb on the girl out of absolutely _nowhere_. Of course, Sora, who he hadn't really expected better of, probably said something to the girl without realising in the slightest that it had hurt her while he tried to make her feel better.

All hail the brain of the keyblade master.

"Last I heard, he went to see the king. Two or three hours ago. They're talking about you," he replied. It was true- Sora, who apparently hadn't slept a wink the night before, went to see the king half an hour before dawn. He'd look like death for Halloween town.

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

"I can't do a thing," Mickey replied, finalising the conversation.

"You can, you just see fit not to!" Sora retorted sharply. "You're the king. You have all the power in the freaking worlds! And I don't give a damn about stepping out of line!" he added, cutting off Donald's attempt at scolding. "What is it, your majesty!? What is it that's so damned interesting about making Kairi suffer!? What happened to being free!? Wasn't that what life was about!"

"Stop it," Mickey told him calmly. "I can understand this pain of yours," at which point Sora bit his tongue and plainly shook his head, holding back shouts. "But this is Kairi's choice."

"Sure, that's why if she doesn't find a fiancé in two weeks you're finding one for her," he hissed in reply, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife. Mickey opened his mouth to reply but Sora cut him off, way out of character. "She cried herself to sleep last night, _your majesty_, so take your excuses and _shove it_." Then he turned on his heel and left a stunned duck with a defeated mouse.

Sora groaned, realising just how bad he had it as the doors slammed behind him. After he'd turned a few corners, he put his head on the cool marble wall, trying to even out his breathing before he took it upon himself to go back and have another go at the king. Failing miserably, he punched his fist into the hard wall, not feeling a thing, then sunk his boot into the hard stone, again not feeling a pain.

As he stepped back and shot a look at the wall, he realised he'd made rather large indents in the white marble. He smiled with satisfaction before leaning on the railing with his back to the courtyard.

_Then _he felt a pain.

The sound was first. A shrill whistle before a dull thud. The thud was the part that hurt- a sharp pain starting near his left shoulder blade that quickly spread out from the point of impact, almost as if following his blood stream. He collapsed on the ground with a short shout, the pain causing his to convulse. The last he knew, Riku was with him, showing the first expression Sora had seen in some time- one of horror. And in the moment before he blacked out, he realised, as Riku did, exactly what was happening.

The darkness is coming on… 

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

Hours. It only took hours. Then he woke again, seemingly fine, wound repaired. He was physically fit, and would be for some time, he knew. But not forever. And mentally, he was a wreck- too much happening in too little time. Worst known was his health overall. He was fine, absolutely peachy, apparently. He could walk and talk and do everything else he needed to. As such, he got on the gummi ship with a short word from Mickey saying he was right, but it was too late for taking back _that _mistake with Kairi. But as they flew to Halloween town, Donald refusing to let Axel pilot (_thank god_), Sora sat in his dark room knowing full well that they were all wrong.

He was _not_ okay.

If anything, he was the complete opposite. Riku knew. And he _knew _that. But they hadn't spoken yet. Kairi, Riku and him hadn't said a word to each other since the incident. Turns out, Disney Castle wasn't as _safe_ as they'd thought. He'd been shot. With an arrow. But whatever substance was on the arrow tip had disappeared on impact- quite simply into his being- leaving no trace. As such, Riku and he didn't say a word, and no one knew.

But Roxas was silent, in need of repair, like Sora. He was battling the darkness, hoping it would silence and dissipate. The roaring in his ears just wouldn't go away. It was painful, never ending. What the boy mostly wanted to know, though, was what would happen to him once he changed. It wasn't an 'if' situation, he could tell. He didn't stand a chance- he couldn't work with the darkness or choose it for an 'inner peace'. He was being totally _malled _by it.

"This should be interesting," he murmured to himself. Antag or Protag, or something in between. He'd always wondered how it felt being an antagonist. He had a feeling he'd get his chance. But he didn't dwell on the subject as someone slipped into his room, sliding through the darkness to sit next to him on the bed as the door closed behind her.

Sora flinched as the lights came on after her, pupils flashing red. He pulled his knees closer to him, pushing himself further into the corner made by the bed and the walls. Kairi surveyed him quietly, seeing a layer of cold sweat on his forehead.

"You look worse off than me," she commented quietly. He looked up fearfully, remembering the events of the night before again. He'd been contemplating his unlikely future too much to linger on his lifeless romantic life. Unfortunately, the terror of his uncertain, but probably dark, future inspired his fear of Kairi. And the two didn't mix very well, especially not while fighting back fang happy urges, among other things. Darkness was a funny feeling, in his opinion.

And he stayed silent.

"Are you sure you're feeling well?" she asked him, reaching over for his hand. He forced himself not to flinch as she touched him for a number of different reasons. He loved being around her, always had, but that feeling was smouldering more and more now that she was becoming the princess everyone wanted her to be. And on top of that, her natural light was just plain _agonising_!

Suddenly he pitied any dark creature to get in the Princess's way. It stung that she pained him so, and only doubled his certainty that they were from two different worlds, never to be together. Which made him depressed. And if he dwelled on his misery too long, he'd get angry again, which he didn't fancy the idea of. It would be about as pretty as Axel set loose with an endless supply of gasoline and matches.

Then again, _that_ could be considered an art form…

"No," he whispered quietly. He was honest, all the thinking had made him feel like throwing up. His darkness seemed to think like him. Simplistic orders- hack here, slash there. None of the strategy or planning. Plan on the spot. Thinking was overrated. Kairi moved to sit next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. The turmoil heightened. His dark half couldn't stand the contact- it was withering away so almost nothing inside him but persistently standing it's ground and holding out against the light. Meanwhile, his other half was thrilled at the touch and the intimacy, and on many counts downhearted.

Because of his dark. Because of her fate.

Halloween town was near, and in the town he could guess what he'd find. The answer to his strange new disease lay with the chaser girl, Ally. He knew it in his heart, she was waiting for him, _especially _for him. There was a fascination with him that this girl had, his darkness told him. She knew not of this new disease, but she knew where it came from, and he'd hunt her down. She'd show him, willing or not, to the man pulling the strings.

The hunt was about to begin.

* * *

Uh… really, I got up at twelve-thirty today, started writing at about one. It is now seven-thirty. I wrote this whole chapter today… and I don't remember, but I'm pretty sure part of the last one too, I'm lacking in the memory department here. Do note this story will get better. I hope… lol, jks. Dunno where the marriage deal came from, I guess I was bored, but I got a great scene for way later concerning it. Any help wooooooooooooooould be appreciated. Greatly. 

Let's face it, me sitting here listening to Social Code, Three Days Grace, The All-American Rejects, Hannah Montana (I admit it, I'm a teenager who likes the show- I watch it before school everyday because I have the Disney Channel), Sherwood, etc. and writing this story non-stop is kinda traumatic. It's holidays and I went out yesterday, going out tomorrow, not doing anything today. Hmm. Oh, right…

Too angsty? Ah, it'll get worse before it gets better, so I'll switch POV sometimes. Ally's my favourite character, hehe. Guess why!

Uh, also, all three of these chapters have been posted within a week, probably with my fourth, because, as you may've guessed, I wrote them all before the stupid three day post-ban for new members was up.

Don't forget your reviews…. See the button? Go on, press it… you know you want to.

TILL NEXT TIME DUCKIES!!!!


	4. Roxas Returns

THIS IS MY FOURTH CHAPTER!

And, yes, you can tell that I'm proud :) 'm sorry if you're offended by my repetitive reference to all of you, my wonderful readers, as duckies. I apologise, but that's what happens when you're friends with everyone, weird or no. They're all just ducks. The keep on squawking, never shut up, but you can't help but think they're awesome for some time.

**Sora-Kairi-4-Ever : you are plain AWESOME. I only started posting yesterday, cause that damned three day limit made me finish writing a few chapters and I didn't want to use my other account. That's why I've updated so quickly. Uh… also, that may mean my updates aren't so fast from now on, but I'll try to get at least once a week. When school starts again, it'll probably be less, but hey, I'll manage. Spell check is awesome, thus the lack of errors. Without spell check, my typos would be numerous. Yes, I like using complicated words and I try not to repeat any because if my English teacher ever found out that I did, she'd kill me :) … And thank you for the vanilla coke, lol…**

Also, I'm giving cookies to whoever reviewed my other fanfic, A Break In Tradition. I didn't expect to get so many in one day. You are all awesome. And for that fact, I would like to point out, King of Wishful Thinking is an Awesome song, backup vocals by Patrick from FOB. You should listen to it. For inspirational purposes, I listen to music… I was listening to said song at the time… _Gives cookies to all reviewers._

Disclaimer: I own Ally and this story, an intense hatred of Roxas only for his voice actor, and the ability to cast anyone into complete and absolute darkness at any given point in time until this story is complete. Why is this? Why, it's because I'M THE AUTHOR!!!!!! Muahahahahahahahahaha!

For personal self-esteem reasons, I chose not to incorporate Roxas in this disclaimer. Instead, here's Riku :)

Riku: … _grunts_

Me: Thankyou, very heartfelt, Riku.

* * *

**Chapter Four: we're getting along in chapters, aren't we.**

"I asked for you _yesterday_!?!"

Ally looked at the man blankly. He was tall and, well… a little on the pudgy side, in her opinion. Well, that was what happened when he got everyone else to do the work for him. The room was dully lit, bordered by a massive computer system containing data. Lots and lots of data. Vasaar loved his data. He said his whole operation depended on it.

She shrugged. Originally, she'd made him wait eight minutes, decided he could wait a little more, went to brush her teeth, did her hair, brooded somewhere in his mansion, went shopping somewhere in the twenty-four hours. Somewhere along the way, she'd forgotten that the man had asked for her, and she distinctly remembered going out for dinner, which then set her remembering the luxurious meal.

"What's your excuse for disobeying me!?" the man, Vasaar, shouted angrily, bringing her back to the present again. She studied him with a violet eye, raising an eyebrow at the grey haired man. His yellow eyes were kind of disgusting, tinged with a blood red colour. He had bushy eyebrows that she struggled not to laugh at (a/n. Aussies may know the inspiration, lol). He wore a black cloak to hide most of his pudginess, and as far as Ally knew, he didn't have a change of clothes.

"I had an… order?" she asked, mocking confused. "Weren't you all requests? There should be a lack of orders, seeing as you aren't my master. But I… guess you're trying to claim ownership? _Bad _choice, mister," she advised softly with a tone in her voice he'd not heard before.

"You've changed, Alana," he hissed, eyes narrowing. She tapped her fingers on the side of her mouth.

"Three thousand, nine hundred and seventy four," she said.

"What?"

"You've called me wrong three thousand, nine hundred and seventy four times, Mr. Vasaar, and as I told you the first time we met, if you call me wrong I will not forgive you for it," she told him clearly. "That's your last offence with me playing your side, Mr. Vasaar. Your infecting of the Keyblade master has given me an unimaginable opportunity."

"You would trade sides for wrong use of a _name_?" the mastermind asked incredulously, somehow surprised by the fact. Ally shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Only side I've ever been on is my own, Mr Vasaar, and it's much better than yours," she commented simply. She watched as he paced.

"You are a fool," he told her spitefully. "If you leave, your memories will remain mine. And you'll never find the Keyblade master- he's left the Castle!"

Ally laughed, a tinkling laugh that matched her appearance. She sounded too un-battle-y for the life she led. Uninteresting fact number 224: Appearances can be deceiving. "I make my own memories in this life, Mister Vasaar, and am in very little need of the old ones. You underestimate me, Mister Vasaar. Mister Sora will meet me in Halloween Town sooner or later- you're only planning your own demise."

She turned to leave but he spoke again. "If you leave, I will set Andre on your trail." Ally turned around, a light smile on her lips. She stared at the man's favourite chess set, eyes studying the strategic game sorely, still waiting for her to finish their game. Vasaar was obsessed with two things in life. The first being data, the second being chess.

"Every move Mister Andre can make is on my list. Teach him something new, for the challenge," she murmured. "As such, your battle with the king is futile if my side joins theirs- I think you know. Can I defeat you yet, Mister Vasaar?" As she spoke complacently, she reached out a hand to the chess board, moving her queen piece one space to the left. The strategic move was one that Vasaar hadn't anticipated.

She looked up with a smile, proving her point. "Check," she murmured, "but not yet more. Perhaps practise is in order? It's your move."

Then she grabbed the chair closest to her, spun, and hurled it into his computer. She put her hand over her mouth, mocking remorse, as a grey portal appeared behind her. She stepped back into it and it closed behind her before Vasaar could do a thing to catch her.

"Damned girl!" he fumed, surveying his broken computer. He really needed to get it fixed, he needed the data. He was lost without it.

Like Ally thought, the man was obsessed with the data.

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

Kairi had fallen asleep somewhere in the time before they arrived at Halloween town. Sora looked at her quietly, softness in his eyes tainted with a slight animosity. He sighed, fully content to stay there with her beside him, but hungry for the hunt. Regretfully, he decided to go, leaving her on the ship. She needed the sleep.

He needed the battle.

As he moved, he heard her whimper, and turned to look at her. He leant forward to listen to what she was saying in her sleep.

"Don't… leave me again…" she murmured quietly. His love for the girl doubled in that moment, realising she knew when he was going even asleep. An urge to scare off any and every one of her suitors that King Mickey could find was almost overpowering, but he knew he couldn't. Some just weren't scared easily, he knew.

"You'll find me when you need me," he whispered in her ear. "Just say the word- I'll do anything." He smiled when he saw her calm down a little. "You'll never know how much I love you," he murmured quietly, knowing full well it was easier when she wasn't awake to witness the words. He stroked the hair from her face for a second, fingers lingering on bare skin, then slid away and out the door.

And his misery was reinstated.

Axel was staying on the ship. Sora had expected as much- he was a lazy bum, and Sora was surprised the King had hired him. But his story was still untold, and Sora was content to wait. After he'd found his fair share of blood, of course. The Symbiant would pay for what they did to him.

Donald met him at the hatch, zapping him into an updated vampire costume utilising his new outfit and hairdo. He glanced at his reflection for a moment, seeing, for a moment, a dark Sora cast in shadow glaring back at him with yellow eyes and sharper-than-his-vampire teeth. Then his real reflection stared back at him blankly, gold crown in place of his usual pumpkin mask. It worked on him, sadly.

He murmured thanks to Donald and marched off the ship after Riku and Goofy, who were waiting for him with Jack. Riku look dead scary, silverish fur covering his entire body, with a brown stripe running from the top of his head down to his back. He was a _scary _looking werewolf. Goofy looked how he always used to in Halloween town. But Halloween Town was the most interesting change of style.

Sora raised an eyebrow. Bright colours and loveable things changed the town greatly. The mayor was skirting around to the gummi curiously, his unhappy face on.

"Jack! You're back!" he shouted miserably. "I can't believe you left me alone here- I'm just a government official, I can't do anything for myself." Sora and Riku exchanged a look, then rolled their eyes simultaneously. Sora folded his arms and tapped his foot.

"Do you know where Sandy went?" Jack asked the mayor loudly. "He got off the ship before me, I do hope he didn't find any trouble."

"Jack, Jack! She came back, she went, she gone, she's going down to Christmas Town," the mayor agonised. Sora rolled his eyes. He'd had enough rhyming and singing at Atlantica when last he went. (a/n. The only bad thing about Disney movies is the recurrent songs. Except in TNBC, cause Jack's lament is my favourite and I know all the words to This is Halloween- sad, isn't it?)

He turned and began to walk for the cemetery with intent to go past it to the forest of doors. If Christmas town was in trouble, Santa would've gone running… as fast as his legs would take his chubby self. Donald was waiting with the ship for when Kairi woke up- Lord behold the girl would wander around the town in singling out clothes and find herself lost.

And that would be sad for the townsfolk.

Riku walked at Sora's side, indicating that Goofy should let them talk. Goofy took the hint and walked some distance behind with the skeleton, quizzing him about the chaser girl as something to do.

"This method of changing is inhumane," Riku commented sympathetically, sensing his friend's pain. Sora twitched, eyes lighting on the forest.

"Aren't all methods?" he asked dryly. Riku grunted.

"How do we fix it?"

"We don't," Sora murmured. Eyes downcast, he continued walking.

"Does Kairi know?" Riku asked suspiciously. Sora's brow twitched as he took a breath. He seemed to have to force his feet to keep going. Riku could see his friend's heart growing a shade darker with every step he took. It seemed that every step he took away from the princess was another he took towards the dark. Sora shook his head in reply. "You should be with her- she keeps your heart light. Every step it's fading." Sora kept walking, silent. "You _want _to be with her… don't you?"

Sora stopped, wounded. "I can't." Then he forced himself to walk again. Riku persisted.

"This isn't to do with the marriage deal, is it. She free to choose her fiancé, y'know. Could be you," Riku taunted, trying to lighten the mood. Sora's reply was the same.

"I can't."

Riku, the persistent bastard when it came to Sora's relationships (a/n. not Riku bashing here, I think Riku's hardcore to the max, lol) decided to push it. "If it's that difference in ranking deal, you are stupider than I thought the first time I met you- Kairi's being a princess doesn't-"

"That's not it," Sora said simply, barely keeping a tone of hatred and misery out of the words. He looked up as they entered the forest. It was then that Riku noticed the sinister aura around the younger boy.

"It hurts you to touch her," he commented softly, emotions almost breaking the surface of his mind. He glanced sadly at his friend and shook his head. "Then why not end it?" Then Sora smiled.

"I'll end it," he assured bluntly, a grim note of humour in his voice.

"You said we won't fix it," Riku growled. "Where's the logic here? I seem to be missing it."

"There isn't a cure to this," Sora told him softly. "It told me. It's as the damned cat said- darkness is strongest in the light. I plan to see how light fares in the dark."

Riku couldn't help but admire the boy's courage. "You would take your own life."

"Only if I take the infectee with me," Sora told him simply they reached the door in the tree and Sora turned to survey his werewolf friend as Jack and goofy got closer. "But if it goes wrong and I get dangerous before that chance…"

"I won't do it," Riku said bluntly. Sora shrugged.

"Then I'll find someone who will, then you'll live knowing someone _else_ ended my misery," he said. Riku surveyed him quietly, then glared.

"You just put me in a god-awful position," he stated, accepting the request. Sora grinned.

"I know, it was fun."

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

An elf ran screaming past the quartet as they entered the snow covered town. Sora and Riku both raised and eyebrow- when they'd become so alike, they didn't know. Apparently, the merry go round was on the fritz again. Sora stared at it boredly before a strange scent filled his senses. It was a combination of fairy floss, cola, and salt and vinger chips. With a tad of bubblegum here and there.

"Ally," he hissed, the scent strangely appetising. It was a strange combination, he knew, but it worked. "You were on your own side once, and know you're a symbiant puppet." The words spilled out of his mouth before he had the chance to think them over. Then he remembered where he knew her from- Roxas's memory. She'd been an acquaintance at one stage, deadly and useful. Also entertaining. He turned to see her on a roof not far from them.

"Shades of grey," she called to him, her smooth voice washing over him. "The Symbiant lost their attraction. I wanted to see the real Keyblade master himself, before the war began. Turns out, the war already had." She shook her head disappointedly, a staff appearing in her left hand. It was rather plain, in Sora's eyes, a small blade tipping each end and a leather grip around the middle. "Your turmoil is your rebirth, but it may also be your downfall. To put the Vasaar's king in checkmate, yours is sacrificing his pawns. What has that mouse come to?"

Sora bared his teeth in a grin, his fangs suddenly all the more real as his darkness reared it's head. His keyblade appeared, the simplistic kingdom key tainted with dark flames and shadows. At the same moment, Ally dropped from the roof and he jumped up to meet her mid fall. He brought his keyblade up with him, threatening to slash her from below. She smiled, using her staff to deflect the blade skilfully. It continued past her as the other end of her staff came up to knock the keyblade master in the back.

He let a hiss loose, eyes narrowing. Ally's staff melded in that moment, the wood lengthening to cover the blade. The had no intention of hurting the Keyblade master _that _much.

She landed on the ground lightly, knees bending to absorb the shock from her feet.

Sora followed soon after, landing hard on the snow and turning to face her grimly, his bloodlust breaking over all rational thought. She dropped her staff, watching him warily. She frowned, then brushed a snowflake off her shoulder.

"Forget about the life you used to know," she told him sadly. "If you keep going, I'll _have _to kill you, and I don't _want _to. But if you cling too tightly to the past, you'll lose sight of your future, Mister Sora, that's the way it works."

He growled in reply, no one daring to interrupt the confrontation.

"Lose sight of your future, lose sight of your light," she continued daringly. "Lose sight of your light, then you lose yourself in darkness. You deserve better, you should know. Your king should know." Sora sniffed. Ally looked at him exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. "You can attack now."

He did. He lunged forward with his keyblade, expecting her to dodge, but instead finding another keyblade blocking his attack. He studied it quietly, noting the middle colour of a blood red tinged with a sheen of greyish silver, a glass effect. The hilt was intricately woven strands of the glassy metal blade, surrounding a simply soft leather grip. The blade itself ended with a differentiation of his own key. The keychain was of a simple grey rag stained with a red substance. She saw him looking.

"My brother's blood," she murmured quietly. "From my father's hands. Always in between, aren't we?"

"You made your own chain," he hissed.

"Curious, isn't it? Edging through the twilight until you find the inspiration all around you, never light, never dark," she told him quickly, weapons still locked. The meaning was clear- she may stay in between, but they all sway at some point, only to end in between again. His fate. Hers. They were alike. He didn't like that.

"Shades of Grey," he murmured, noting the blade's name being relevant.

"And aptly named," she finished for him, whirling around and knocking his blade away again with a sweet smile. The battle dragged on for some time, blades clashing every few seconds as they whirled. Ally whirled away, purple ribbon coming undone in her hair as her breathing became heavier. Next she knew, Sora's hand was around her throat, pushing her against the wall, threatening to break her neck. She smiled.

"You win," she murmured, feeling his pressure tighten. "Mister Sora may, infact, defeat Mister Vasaar, after all, once he gets his bloodlust under control." He hissed at her, exerting more pressure. "When the shadows reach your eyes, you'll never be light again, Mister Sora. When you lose your train of thought, you're condemned to Vasaar's checkmate." He bared his fangs in reply, more animal than human. She giggled.

"Don't be so blind. Roxas would tell you, but he can't speak anymore," she whispered in his ear as he got closer. "I'm here to guide you, Mister Sora, not stand in your way. Your cravings won't stop at my death, either. You'll want more once the grief has passed. You'll yearn for for the sweet taste. And then who goes next?" she asked him, making him hesitate for another moment she just laughed again as he inhaled her lack of fear- he could tell she was indifferent to death. He looked down, deep in thought.

"Do it, take my life," she dared. "But I wonder what will happen when you know she sees."

Sora's head snapped up when he heard the words, not to Ally, but to Riku, who was quietly restraining a Halloween decked out Kairi. Sora grumbled fearfully before he let Ally, fall back to stand on the ground. He fell back to sit on the snow head in his hands as he struggled to control his new darkness. Ally crouched next to him, a hand on his shoulder, a sympathetic look on her face.

"At least I can save one of you from this," she murmured, her hand slipping across his heart. There was a white light before Roxas appeared, whole and alone, next to the still suffering Sora, dark creatures crawling on him hungrily. Ally looked over at Kairi quickly, seeing Naminé appear beside her. "Woops," Ally murmured. "Didn't know you two were that far connected." Then she giggled.

Roxas whirled around, drawing the oblivion keyblade quickly. He spun around, slashing at the darkness. The creatures fell, slaughtered, to the ground, leaving the boy free to watch his counterpart struggle.

"His heart is almost completely deceived," the blonde murmured. Ally giggled.

"I know, it's rather funny," she replied before she frowned. "Roxy couldn't stop the darkness… Mister Vasaar may have gone too far this time. Mister Sora should suffer unconsciously, then ignore the pain on his body." Ally seemed to think about it for an extended time. Roxas, as impatient as his counterpart, held back an urge to yell at his former acquaintance.

"Why are you just sitting here, why aren't you stopping this?" he asked loudly, anger sliding into his dulcet tones. Ally shook her head, slipping from one epitome to the other- foolish to serious. She turned to Roxas, raised an eyebrow, and fixed him with her sad eyes.

"Why are you just standing there doing nothing?" she retorted simply, turning to Sora's other group who were watching, mystified. "Why are they?" she shook her head, turning back to the growling brown-haired boy before her. She cocked her head. "Uncertainty, Mister Roxas," she explained plainly. "I don't know what to do. Like you, like them. If I knock him out, will he continue to change? Will he be able to fight it with a lack of consciousness? Will he kill us all? Tell me, Mister Roxas, so I may make the correct decision." Roxas was silent for a moment.

"I don't know," he replied grudgingly, receiving a nod in reply from Ally. She glanced at him again, approving the comment.

"Nor do I," she told him happily, changing her emotional stance _again_. Without looking, she smacked Sora on the side of the head with _extreme _force, standing up as he slumped fully to the ground, half buried in snow. Ally's violet eyes examined the fallen keyblade master, ears ringing from the vacancy of his animalistic growls.

She grabbed his arm, feeling a zap of dark energy his her before she began dragging him in the opposite direction of the watchers, to Santa's workshop.

"Where better to get a present than Christmas town?" she murmured to Roxas, indicating him to help her drag her unconscious load. He rolled his eyes, determined to outdo her, and grabbed his other around the waist, lifting him over his shoulder. "Oh, and… nice to see you again!"

"I'd say likewise, but under the circumstances, Ash, I think I'd be lying," he replied seriously, tiredness splayed on his face as they reached the workshop door. Ally giggled.

"Too true."

* * *

I stopped here because I said I'd post today. Sorry, it'll be a few days before my next post, probably. Unless I have lots and lots of caffeine. And for those who read 'A Break In Tradition', who said they wanted another oneshot again? I'll go song searching for inspiration…

Reviews and vanilla coke are my addictions. I get bad headaches without them.

Be my Panadol. :)

TILL NEXT TIME DUCKIES!!!


	5. Ally's Introduction

I'm beginning to lack in inspiration and it's only chapter five, duckies… -.- to say I'm lacking in musical inspiration is an understatement, I'm just looking in the wrong direction. Hmmm…

Does someone actually want me to write down my inspiration after each chapter? Just say so, I will.

Uh, and again with the requests for anything related or no…

**Thank you to my wonderful reviewers, you make my day.**

**Sora-Kairi-4-Ever: no, I did not know that Emily Osment's brother voiced him. I didn't know she had a brother. I'll add that fact to Ally's list, jks. I'm incorporating variety in Ally that reminds me of my friends- it's funny. Her motto shall be 'use of the letter 'A' is overrated. Now 'Z'!!! That's a letter people should use!' …I hate the letter 'A' because the moment I learnt it I was condemned to an education. Is that a good reason? Lol. Uh… there's a twist with the marriage clause, but I'm saving it for the **_**veeeeeery**_** last moment, you'll probably like it. And although I'm not much of a sucker for the romance, I have a creative mind when things come to it.**

And all shall fear my creepy face…

…_doesn't it just creep you out?_

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom hearts and blah, blah, blah… I own Ally and the ability to give Sora a bad hair day. Why would that be? BECAUSE I'M THE EVIL AUTHOR!!! I'm an antag at heart, what can I say?

Sora: For those of you who don't know, it's Nicole's fault that I got a haircut and some creepy disease all in the period of twelve hours.

Me: I know, it was fun.

Anyways, also, if you don't know, an 'antag' is an antagonist, and a 'protag' is a protagonist. Not that hard to figure, duckies, but just making sure you know…

ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

**Chapter five: oh joy!**

"I think he's waking up…"

"Way to state the obvious, Roxas…"

"Shut up! I was just sayin'…"

Sora opened his eyes slowly. He felt like a ton of bricks, and when he finally managed to move he wished he hadn't. He was hit by a splitting headache, the light in the room causing glare in his eyes that hurt in a way he was unaccustomed to. He began to wonder if he could possibly borrow Riku's blindfold for a time, but couldn't dwell on the subject because someone's face was shoved closed to his.

"Roxas," he groaned, struggling to sit up on the couch. He winced as someone helped him up, feeling a burning sensation his back- Kairi, he knew. "How the _hell_ did you get here?" he hissed, trying to remember what happened. Roxas turned to look at a black-haired girl, watching quietly. Sora laughed, regretting it as the ache in his head recurred. The girl was near the door, ready to slip out if the need arose. "Alyss," he murmured, humoured.

"That's Ally to you, Mister Sora," she replied simply.

"You beat me." She shook her head and put her finger to her lips in a shushing movement, conversing with him silently. _Shut up, dufus_. He glared at her and she stuck her tongue out at him rudely. He couldn't do a thing.

"You hit your head, Mister Sora," she reminded him simply, eyes wandering for the umpteenth time around the small cosy room that belonged to the fat man in the big red suit. Said man was nowhere to be found.

"_You _hit his head, Ash," Roxas argued, causing the girl to roll her eyes.

"Again with the stating of the obvious, Mister Roxas! You never stop, do you?" she told him loudly, disregarding the headache she knew Sora had. Sora just laughed.

"No, he doesn't," he piped in quietly, much more interested with the reasonably sized lump on the side of his head than with the direction of the conversation. "Always talking about things of the apparent or Naminé." Sora stopped as his counterpart blushed bright red. "I don't know which is worse." Of course, Ally's eyes had already lit up with intrigue by this point.

"Roxy has a special girl in his life?" she asked, mystified. "Does he love her?" The stated question inevitably made Roxas blush more, thankful that said girl wasn't in the room with the four of them. Kairi giggled at the event, accidentally finding Sora's hand. She quickly turned to look at him, blushed a little as they exchanged a quick glance, and blushed almost as much as Roxas as, against all odds, the brunette took her hand in his. The second she looked away he winced, testing the pain.

Roxas, protesting to every taunt or question that his former acquaintance sent his way (as they'd never been friends due to the girl's abrupt over-competitiveness, among other thing), was cut off mid-objection as the door opened and quite a number of figures shuffled in from the cold outside. Once the door had been closed, all five of them turned to glance at Sora hopefully, all breaking out in smiles except Riku (who we all know prefers to be extremely emotionally unexpressive). Instead, he nodded subtly, his equivalent to a grin, and went to sit on the armchair in the corner.

"We found nothing but a few of those funny critters that came with you last time," Jack was saying to Donald, "and they were just standing there, doing nothing the entire time we watched them. Nothing happened. What about you?"

"Riku, Naminé and me? Nothing in Christmas Town but a threat of pneumonia!" the duck exclaimed angrily, still shivering. "No Santa, either. Dunno what happened to him!" Riku snorted.

"Santa's not real," he sniffed.

"Is so," Sora argued stiffly.

"Is not," the ever-stubborn Riku retorted sharply. Of course, to prove him wrong, the door opened and Santa himself entered the room from the blizzard stricken exterior, murmuring about being asleep on the gummi ship the entire time and being woken up rather abruptly by Axel.

"Is so," Sora repeated smugly, seeing Riku's face fall.

"Mister Riku, the boy who doesn't believe in Santa Claus," Ally murmured softly, bringing the boy's attention to her. He rolled his eyes, a habit he found himself quite unable to break. "But never on the naughty list," she added, making a clicking sound with her tongue. "Mister Claus knows me, though. I've been on the naughty list for years at a time."

"Surprise, surprise," Riku muttered sarcastically, causing the girl to smile.

"The means outweigh the aims, Mister Riku," she replied sweetly, eyeing the silver haired boy critically. "You should know. That's why I was on the list."

"Was?"

"Is it just me, or do they have a thing going on over there…?" Sora asked Kairi, whispering in her ear as she sat beside him. She smiled, something cooking in her mind. "Oh no, I know that look," he murmured to himself. "Riku's doomed- that's your matchmaker look."

"I have a look for that?" she asked curiously. Sora rolled his eyes and tuned back into the conversation.

"Yes. _Was_," Ally was saying.

"As in?"

"As in _is not on the list anymore_," she replied slowly, dragging out the words for Riku as if he needed extra time to comprehend. "After my… forty-seventh?" she turned to Santa, who was standing just inside the door, watching silently. "It was my forty-seventh, wasn't it?" Santa nodded, his white pom-pom flipping about. "Yes, after my forty-seventh bad run, Mister Claus didn't even bother putting me on a list. He accepted that I was an incarnation of evil and believing I would change my ways was pointless," she told him matter-of-factly.

"Not… on a list," Riku murmured incredulously. "All kids are on a list."

"This coming from a boy who doesn't believe in Santa Claus," Ally snapped frustratedly, sitting herself down on the floor abruptly. Riku glared at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. Which he mirrored.

"Y'know, I'm seeing some definite chemistry there," Naminé whispered as she joined Roxas, Sora and Kairi at their side of the room.

"We know," Kairi replied evilly. The boys exchanged a quick frightened look.

"Two Kairi's," Sora began, scaredly.

"We are _so_ screwed," Roxas finished for him. They both slumped in their seats, shaking their heads simultaneously, perfect reflections. Goofy chuckled as he saw the action, again reverting to Riku's aggressive situation. Ally clearly got under his skin in a way no one else ever had. No one. _Ever._ Santa was walking to his small desk stiffly, picking up two large pieces of paper and studying them quietly.

"Alana Alyss Ashley was a special case," he explained, stopping with a huff as he sat down in his chair. Ally winced at the use of her name, struggling not to pounce on the old man right then. Roxas smirked at the action, her first rule clear in his mind. Of course, there were probably quite a few reasons that Ally didn't attack the bearded wonder. One would've been that if she did, all of Roxas's friends, who were already on edge by her presence as she had yet to explain herself, would've been on her in seconds.

Another would be that Santa was immortal- attack was useless.

"She was on the naughty list from the age of seven- five thousand, three hundred and twenty-four years ago. She threw a cricket ball at her English teacher's head," he murmured, delighting his listeners with the girl's life story. She giggled.

"I still have that ball," she commented softly.

"In that run, she managed to break several limbs- none of which were her own- put three teachers out of the job, offend the Pumpkin King with no reaction to his latest scare at the time-"

"That was you?" Jack asked, earning a shrug from Ally. He laughed. "One in millions."

"Push her classmate out of a tree, and bury her cat alive," Santa finished.

"I thought it was dead," she complained quietly, shrugging it off indifferently.

"I'm sorry, did you say _five thousand_ years ago?" Sora asked softly, earning a quick glance from the bearded man. Santa looked at Ally expectantly, intending her to answer the question. She winced.

"Uh… I'm on limbo…" she replied quietly, eyes cast downwards. She whistled awkwardly, twiddling her fingers in her lap. Santa 'hmph'ed rather loudly in the silence that followed, an understanding between the two of them that the others didn't quite comprehend.

"Limbo?" Riku asked dully. Ally nodded.

"Yep! I'm a failure as a human being," she replied ecstatically. How she switched from silent and awkward to ecstatic and loud in less than a moment, no one understood.

"And you're… happy about that?" Donald asked curiously.

"After seventy three life cycles- no, I detest the fact," Ally responded with venom, again switching to ecstasy. "Uninteresting fact number one hundred and thirty-four: Ducks should stay in ponds," she added, raising an eyebrow at the duck, he jumped, brandishing his staff threateningly. She threw her shoe at his face in response, an action he wasn't expecting, and he fell backwards with a gurgle. "All they do is get in the way, and make a lot of noise," she continued, reaching forward and snatching her checkered shoe back quickly. She adopted a thoughtful expression for a moment before adding, "and mess. Lots and lots of mess…"

Goofy began to laugh, Jack chuckling with him before Roxas burst out laughing at Sora's recalled memories. And despite the brutal bashing of his close friend, both physical and verbal, Sora laughed too.

After a moment, he added his input. "So true… so true."

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

Okay, so here was the deal.

Ally was a repetitive reincarnate who had gone through seventy-three life cycles in five thousand, three hundred and twenty-four years. That was a long, _long _time, so Sora had to assume she knew what she was doing.

Or something about what she was doing, anyway…

After all, she _did _say she was a failure as a human being, but she'd also reminded everyone that the rest of her life story was intended, at the time, for the keyblade master alone… and his nobody.

Of course, then there was the question of what would happen if they left the clearly powerful keyblade wielder with a wounded or… disabled Sora. But they forgot that Roxas wasn't wounded, and was allowed in on the conversation. With Santa, who volunteered instead not to join (a/n. Santa knows all!!!). And Sora, wanting to speak to the girl about a more personal matter concerning him, didn't hesitate to remind them of the fact. As such, they exited resentfully through the front door and went off for a very scrumptious sounding dinner- all scary looking Halloween creatures (except for Santa.).

By the time they'd all gone, Roxas and Sora realised that Ally had also disappeared, and their peaking curiosity to her whereabouts singled out a ruckus coming from next door. They exchanged a quick look, before heading for the door into the actual workshop. They opened it warily, peering into the room to see six or seven angry elves watching Ally rummaging through a huge red sack.

They were not happy.

"Nope," Ally commented loudly, her whole upper half lost in the magic bad as she threw something out of it, looking for something in particular. Roxas sidled over to her with the intention of pulling her back out, but before he had the chance, she'd disappeared into the red carrier entirely. Sora, joining Roxas at the side of the bag curiously, murmured a warning.

"Ally, I… uh… don't think you should be doing that. That's not your stuff."

In reply, another wrapped gift hurtled out of the open sack. It was actually rather strange for the two of them. They could hear the movement and the noise, but the bag didn't even move. It wasn't even that big, so they wondered how they'd lost the girl in there in the first place- vision-wise, she shouldn't have fit. Magic-wise, she did.

"Not that," they heard her state. "Or that. And that's nowhere _near _what I'm looking for…" It was like she was looking through the entire bag for something.

"What's she…?" Sora trailed of, knowing his other got the message. Roxas shrugged.

"No idea. But if I know anything about Ally, it'll probably be some stupid game…"

_**Thwack!**_

Another item hurtled out of the bag, precisely aimed to smash into Roxas's left eye. Unfortunately, it went a little to far left, and, instead, hit him in the nose. Hard. (a/n. when you look at someone, their left is on your right, so I did phrase that right!) Now he had a nosebleed- and his nose itself looked kind of broken. Sora sniggered.

"I'm beginning to like her more and more," he laughed happily. He had no intention of fixing his nobody's nose and the blonde couldn't do it himself- Roxas never was one for cure magic.

"FOUND IT!" Ally shouted, there was a silence for a moment before she spoke again. "…Now… which way did I come in again?" It was Roxas's turn to laugh. "WRONG MOVE, ROXY! NOW I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING!" Roxas's grin faded at the words, hearing movement again. Before they knew it, the black-haired girl was sliding out of the bag quickly and slapping Roxas upside the head. She grabbed him, ignoring glares from the idle elves, and stuffed him in the sack, kicking it for good measure. "Find my wristband while you're in there!" she called. "I think I left it somewhere near the bike…"

Then she turned on her heel, leading Sora back into the first room, black box in hands. She sat at the desk, indicating Sora to sit across from her. He pulled up a chair as she pulled on the thin purple ribbon tie at the top of the box, pocketing it after it was undone completely. Sora realised it was exactly the same as the one she wore in her hair.

"That's… your present…" he realised. She looked up at him curiously, then smiled.

"Mister Claus and I have an agreement," she replied quietly, a degree of calm he hadn't seen in her before then. Skating back through Roxas's memories, he realised that his counterpart hadn't either. "Every year I don't take a life, I get a present. The rest is forgotten, the slip-ups and the mistakes. He says it's my entitlement, but he also says that the longer I hold off on the urge, the less I'll need the result."

"The ends don't justify the means," Sora murmured, "because the means outweigh the ends. That what you were talking about before?"

"Nope," she replied. "I was talking about having a good intention but doing really, _really _bad things to get to said intention. But it could be considered the same, I guess. Except it really is an equivalent exchange- one gift for some amount of lives. Mister Sora, these gifts are what made this cycle different."

"One gift for _how many _lives exactly?" Sora asked slowly. Ally's hands faltered on the black cardboard and refused to look up. She sighed and rose her eyes to his again.

"Depends on the bloodlust," she said in a monotone. "When you have our power, no one can stop you. It doesn't end, that's why I knocked you out. That's why Mister Claus tries to keep me in line. Mister Sora, if you change and give in to your darkness- if you taste the blood- no one will have the power to stop you. You _will_ destroy everything and everyone you know."

He could feel her sadness as her hands continued to open the box, pulling out a checkered glass board that was attached to a sculpted metal base. She admired it for a moment after placing it on the table, then reached into the box again and proceeded to pull out two sets of glass chess pieces, one clear glass and the other a misty colour. She lined them up on the board carefully, aligning them perfectly.

"Black or white, Mister Sora," she asked softly, entranced by the intricate set. He glanced at her inquisitively, thinking again that she was one of the strangest people met in quite a time- probably even his entire life. She was a reincarnated former killer with a fetish for _chess, _and _yes_, he found it strange. But also rather interesting.

"Black," he replied quickly, barely thinking. She looked up at him, intrigued at the choice.

"Very nice," she commented. "Better to react, than act. Though, I was under the impression that you were normally rather impulsive. Perhaps your acquaintances changed that about you."

"Acquaintances?" he questioned.

"Mister Roxas could be considered an acquaintance at this moment for you. He was my acquaintance once- good competition," she explained quietly. "But also Mister Riku, Mister Claus, Mister Jack, Misters Donald and Goofy," she stopped and thought for a moment, "an odd choice in duck, Mister Sora," she told him, "and, of course, Miss Kairi. She gives you warmth, but it's rather interesting to watch you reject it, especially when you need it so."

"They're not my acquaintances, they're my friends," he replied honestly, watching as she made the first move on the chessboard. She fixed him with an interested look.

"Mister Sora, if you don't mind me asking…" she began, ignoring the sounds Roxas was making as he tried to get the elves in the other room to help him out of Santa's sack. "What _exactly _are friends?"

He blinked. Of all the questions she could've asked him, he'd expected that the least. He took a moment to think about his answer before he voiced it, moving a random piece of his on the board.

"A friend is…" he thought about it a little more. "Someone you can trust to come through in the end, if not in the beginning. It's someone you like to be around most of the time, that makes you feel special- like you're worth a damn, even when you're not. Someone you'd give your life for and fight for, no matter the cost."

"An attachment?"

"Yes."

"A weakness?"

"At times," he replied hesitantly. "Often more of a strength. They're people… or, let's just say beings, that you enjoy being in the company of."

"You already said that."

"Yes, well, it's hard to explain," he sighed. "It's a difficult question. Don't you have any friends, Ally?"

"Mister Clause may be my friend- he plays chess with me every Friday and I rather relish the company," she answered sadly. "But I've known very few people for longer than the time it takes to do them in- and that's when you find out who a person really is."

"When you're about to snap their neck?"

"No," Ally laughed. Her laughter died off soon after. "When a being knows that they're about to die, you can see exactly what they're made of. The fool will blunder in and rely on pure instinct, the coward will turn and run, and the courageous one will push forward at a steady pace to face the danger. The idiot will blunder on with a strategy, but that generally puts him at a disadvantage because he never gets enough _data_. Oh, and the smart one takes his time, and gets to the end eventually, not wasting any energy on the way."

"With your blade at their throat?"

"The coward is already long gone, and the brave one stares you straight in the eye and tells you with even breathing that you can take his life, but it won't make a difference in the end," she cleared up eventually, still playing the chess game. "The smart one tries to talk you out of it calmly. Of course, by this time, the _idiot_ is already dead…"

"And the fool?" Sora prompted. She looked up and smiled at him cutely.

"The fool's the one who wins."

He spent a moment to ponder the reply, wondering exactly how the scenario worked. Of course- the idiot with the strategy was the one who was dead- without the right information (or 'data',as Ally had said (a/n. guess who she's talking about)) a strategy was worthless. Bravery often led to stupidity, which would've led to the blade at the icon's throat, and the words that said icon would've said would have been those of bravery, telling their attacker they weren't afraid of death, and that the ending of their life wouldn't make a difference either way. The coward, like all beings, would wind up dead in the end, anyway, just a long time after they'd fled. Of course they wouldn't have a blade at their throat if they'd turned tail and ran.

The smart one would've signed his deathnote from the beginning- the longer he waited to get to the end, the more powerful his opponent would become. Of course, without the exertion to get there quickly, he'd be more ready to fight. But so would his opponent. And of course he'd be using some smart ass tricks to get out of the situation- reverse psychology and that crap. But why would the _fool _wind out on top? The key reason they wouldn't being the title- _fool_. After another moment of thinking, he asked.

"How does that work?" he questioned, frustrated by the example. She looked at him curiously. "The fool winning- how's it work? Everyone else losing, I can figure out. But the fool winning, I don't get." She smiled.

"Think back," she told him quietly. "The game has to do with indifference, that's why I lose. The fool blunders in without thinking through both sides- that incurs a lack of strategy or planning. Then they act on instinct- not acting, _re_acting. If you don't think about what you're doing at the time, and don't analyse the situation, then there's nothing to be wary of and no reason to do so. If you don't _care _what you're doing at the time, it incurs an excess of indifference and that pisses your opponent off."

"Doesn't anger make them stronger?" he asked her genuinely. She shook her head.

"Perhaps for a time," she relented. "But anger, like all emotions, clouds your judgement. Civilisations have fallen because of it, that's how it works. That's why total indifference is the key."

Sora sighed. "Confusing," he stated. She smiled knowingly and shrugged.

"You'll get it one day, Mister Sora," she told him simply, moving another piece one the board and taking one of Sora's rooks. "But 'friends' inspire emotion. I would imagine that's why I have none. Possibly also because I'm an ignorant git, but, hey, I'm not complaining…"

"Can I ask you another question?" Sora interrupted lazily, stealing her bishop from the board.

"You just did, but shoot," she commented smartly as Roxas, finally free of the Santa sack, walked in the room and collapsed tiredly in what was formerly Riku's chair, using a random cloth to soak up the blood from his broken nose.

"Why do you call me 'Mister'?"

* * *

It's 11:14, and mum's _making _me go to bed, I've been typing that long… 

Ally's a complicated character, isn't she?

Cya duckies!


	6. The Forest Of Festivities

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN KINGDOM HEARTS ALREADY!!! GET IT FIGURED! IF I DID, I'D ACTUALLY OWN THIS LAPTOP! I DON'T SO NO, I DON'T OWN KINGDOM HEARTS, TIM BURTON'S NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (you could guess by it being 'Tim Burtons') OR ANYTHING TO DO WITH KINGDOM HEARTS EXCEPT THIS STORY AND MY OWN CHARACTERS- THE EVIL ONES AND ALLY! Thank you.

Don't like my disclaimer? BITE ME! Hehe.

I'm kinda blunt, don't think I don't realise, I do. Also, I'm knocking off chapters really quick at the moment cause I spend most of my day writing and I get up at roughly twelve in the day. Mum doesn't like me getting up at that time- she says it makes me stay up too late. Too bad.

And now, I introduce to you, the mentioned but never seen character, ANDRE!!!

Andre: hello… I'm supposed to be in this chapter, but I think it's possible that she's going to screw me over again.

Me: … You know me too well…

* * *

**Chapter six! HOORAY!!!**

Just to recap, the last word said in the now tense-ish room was 'Mister'. Apparently, the repetitive calling of 'Mister', 'Miss', or anything of the type was a touchy issue with Ally. Like, say, the letter 'A'? Of course, Sora was asking innocently- and it _was _a good question.

Ally stared at him blatantly. "Why do I call you 'Mister', Mister Sora?" she asked him. "I don't know, sir, maybe it has something to do with acknowledging lives while their still progressing, for me. There could be another reason." She turned her attention back to the chessboard, moving a misted pawn to it's last place and swapping it for her already taken rook. Sora moved another piece of his without thinking.

"What would that be?" It seemed for a moment that she ignored him, but she was really just checking to see he'd made an illegal move.

"You can't move a pawn to the left, Mister Sora," she pointed out, allowing him to do his move over. She tapped the wooden desk thoughtfully. "Habit, Mister Sora. It was how I was brought up- lacking social skills other than acceptance of life and the ability to take it. Also, probably for lack of friends- I haven't a need for first name basis. Why get close to someone when you're bound to lose them in the end?"

Sora contemplated the question for a time, totally ignoring the moves he made on the chessboard. "The pain that you or the counterpart feels with the loss, in the end… you only feel that because there was such a great thing there to lose in the first place. You remember the good times… and the pain's worth it."

Ally shook her head. "Not if you won't remember," she murmured.

"Hmm?" Sora inquired wordlessly. Roxas was listening to the conversation now, watching their game intently at the same time.

"There's no guarantee I'll remember a thing, Mister Sora, as Mister Roxas knows," Ally told him. "It's rather sad, actually. Mister Vasaar is in possession of my memories, and they are the ones I made memorable with an item to show it had happened. But never good memories- only satisfactory. I've no good memories at all."

"Vasaar?" Roxas asked quietly. Ally's eyes widened, and she smiled a little.

"Woopsy, I'm dropping names," she announced. Sora chuckled. "He's the… what's the word… organiser- nope… uh… what was it… _master _of the Symbiant? Yes, that was it." She made a throwing up gesture. "Master my _ass_- he'd be nothing without his data. And he'll have his damned computer fixed by now." Sora had no idea where she was going with this train of thought.

"Righto," he said, cutting her off. "The Symbiant- what exactly are they?"

"Idiots with pointy sticks," Ally told him bluntly.

"Further with the details, Ash," Roxas encouraged. Ally put her head in her hands, recalling any information that was useful.

"There's about seven of them- they're chasers," she said, receiving a questioning glance from Sora. "I'm supposed to be a chaser, but I don't have anything against either side, I just stick to my own."

"And a chaser is?"

"A reincarnate with a lust for destruction, mainly of darkness. You could relate them to your ex-Organization," she explained. "They border on nothing, all shades of grey. But they like domination, and as much as they despise the darkness, they don't really give a rats for light either- they prefer a third party approach. They're strategically incapable, can't think for themselves, that's where Vasaar comes in."

"He organizes them," Roxas commented. Ally snorted.

"Understatement of the _millennia_, Mister Roxas. He tells them when to sleep, eat, walk, run, attack, defend- he could tell them to kill themselves, and they would. It's actually rather hilarious, they're mindless gits and if you have enough forcefulness, they'll do what you tell them. I have no idea what Mister Mickey's so afraid of," she laughed.

"Aren't you a chaser?" Sora questioned.

"Andre and I are exceptions to the metal headed existence. If we'd killed one person in a town, we could stop without the drive to take more lives- until, of course, we felt the urge again. We can think for ourselves… a little less on Andre's part," she added thoughtfully. "Mister Vasaar didn't like the lack of control, but I was the only one who could play chess with him, and it became a force of habit."

"And all this still doesn't explain the Symbiant's intention or the reason you're here."

"Well, what Vasaar intends is beyond me- he only told me what he wanted me to do when he wanted me to do it, none of his forward plans. He liked me more'n Andre, said I was better at the job," she laughed. "Sadly, he sent Andre to infect you, probably because sharpshooting isn't my deal."

Sora was silent- they'd come to the subject he's originally wanted to talk about, and he didn't know where to start.

"Mister Sora, what is love?" Ally asked him, troubled. "I may taunt Mister Roxas with it as much as I like and know it has relevance, but I don't know what it's relevant to." Sora was shocked by the question, surprised at his own shock more than that at her lack of knowledge.

"Love is…" he began, then realising he didn't know exactly how to explain it, faltered. "Love is a… feeling you get towards someone. When you can't stop thinking about them, and if the subject of it or the person is brought up, there's a large chance you'll blush."

"Profusely?"

"Yeah."

"Like Mister Roxas when you mentioned his thoughts of Miss Naminé?"

"Yep," Sora replied, thoughts roaming to Kairi. "That's part of it."

"And your love gives you warmth, like Miss Kairi does for you?" she asked, genuinely interested.

"For personal reasons, I choose not to answer that."

"Then I'll take it as a 'yes'," Ally told him, giggling girlishly. "Mister Sora and Miss Kairi. You would make a cute pair. Roxy and Miss Naminé would if there weren't so much blonde, I think." She ignored Roxas's trademark angry noise and Sora rolled his eyes- he and Riku were doomed to have their eyeballs roll out of their heads if they did it too much more, Ally thought.

"I'm intrigued," Sora commented. "You fail to grasp the concepts of love and friendship and yet you can pick out who would make a good couple. It's rather strange."

"Indifference is the key, Mister Sora. You'll be indifferent eventually, even if the change in character and the strangeness annoys you now."

"I never said it did," he said. "I said you intrigue me, I find the abrupt change in character interesting- it makes you different from everyone else."

Ally smiled. "I've never met someone quite like you, Mister Sora. Not even Mister Roxas. I also find it strange that I brought up your disease and you have yet to quiz me, but I must point out that indifference and inattentiveness seems to work for you." She indicated to the chessboard, intending him to analyse the game.

"…Checkmate?" he asked. "How'd I get you in checkmate? I don't even _play_ chess."

"Indifference." Ally shrugged. "It's a simplistic concept. I acted and you reacted. That's how it works. But what is it about the disease that you need to know?"

He was silent, thinking about the question. "I don't think there's anything I don't know from it," he told her uncertainly. "It's dormant at the moment, it's savage in a million different ways, and there isn't a cure." Ally shook her head.

"True, true, and true, but there is a treatment."

"What's that?" Sora asked her, fully aware of the difference between a treatment and a cure. One suppresses the disease, while the other obliterates it.

"The pain you feel when you're with the Princess is caused by her natural light. The longer you're away from that treatment, the harder the darkness is to control. Every step you take away from her is a shade darker that your heart becomes."

"Well, that's a death sentence right off the mark," Roxas murmured quietly.

"Why?"

"The princess is getting married to some random in a week and a half, basically. Stupid marriage clause," Sora hissed.

"Why not ask her to marry you?" Ally stated obviously. Roxas snorted.

"Like that's going to happen. He couldn't even tell her he loved her _before _he started wallowing in a pit of self-pityand depression, he's not going to do it _now_!" Roxas exclaimed nasally, earning Ally's empty black box in his face. Ally laughed and shook her head.

"You aren't familiar with the marriage clause, are you Mister Sora?" she asked him rhetorically, slumping back in her chair. He didn't even bother to ask what she knew or how she knew- he had a feeling that this was something she'd make him figure it out himself.

He was screwed.

"And back to your being here?" Roxas asked, his voice still muffled from his nose injury, still trying to stifle the flow of blood. Ally rolled her eyes- almost as bad of a habit for her as it was for Sora and Riku.

"I've just told you everything you wanted to know and more, and you're still wondering? Mister Roxas- you've lost the plot," she insulted. "I'm here to help you- my side would most benefit from that course of action. Also, Mister Vasaar will get every bit of pain he deserves, I detest him so. So the question actually is- will you let me stay?"

"You want my approval?" Sora inquired, confused.

"Well, I'm not asking the _duck_…" she retorted sarcastically. "You're Mister Sora, the keyblade master and leader of your eventful operations. And I'd encourage you to accept because your journey is about to get a whole lot more eventful…"

"You have to put up with Riku," he told her.

"Difficult, but I'll have him doing the laundry before you know it."

"And you have to call me by my first name, no prefixes."

"Geez, you drive a hard bargain, sir, but ok."

"Then you can come," he relented.

"Why thank you Sora. Can I still use prefixes for Mister Riku? I get the feeling it will annoy him."

Sora laughed. "It'll be fun until he puts worms in your bed."

"Oh, he's a barrel full of laughs, isn't he?" Ally remarked sarcastically, dropping into silence. Her head jerked up after a few moments, eyes wide. Her nose twitched oddly and she stood up, walking to the window and looking out to see a full-fledged snowstorm attacking the town. She grinned and cracked her knuckles, waiting in silence for a moment as if to hear something over the blizzard. Her staff appeared in her hand as she giggled. "He's here," she sung, her tone housing something like foreboding, with a tremor of creepiness and excitement. Sora stood as she headed to the door.

"Where're you going?" he asked her warily. She turned to him with a sweet smile, tapping the doorknob. "Andre came for me- I'm not supposed to meet you, but Mister Vasaar implies that he is, infact, my master. He was wrong. Now Andre will have to pay the price." She opened the door and slipped out into the storm without a second glance, something resembling bloodlust clear in her eyes. Sora grabbed the doorknob before it closed entirely.

"Tell the others there's danger and they shouldn't come," he ordered Roxas simply, closing the door on his other's protests as he followed Ally into the storm. Roxas closed his mouth and crossed his arms, death-glaring the wall angrily with his feet up on the arm of the chair. He sighed angrily, feeling the pain in his broken nose. His body language screamed venomous thoughts as he waited for the others to come back.

"I'm finally real and able to live on my own and they make me the useless _messenger boy_."

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

Ally squinted through the snow, sighting the portal tree to the forest of festivities. She smiled. Of course Andre would wait for her in the dark woods- however, that put his sharpshooting skills to an all time low with the girl who could already dodge every bullet. Ignoring the snowstorm, she pressed on to the top of the hill. Andre was the second closest she'd ever come to a friend- but he was a little more like family, for a time. Now he was just like everyone else- useless and in the way.

She jumped into the portal quickly, dissuaded by the falling sensation as she saw the swirling colours around her. It made her nauseate rather quickly. She twirled her staff rather boredly as she fell, laughing as she fell in the snow once more. She stood up silently, skipping rather than walking through the think wood. She brushed her fingers across the tall tree trunks. For the housing of portals to festive towns, it was a rather dank and gloomy. It was silent and dark.

A nice place, in Ally's opinion.

Uninteresting fact number twenty-three: _salt and pepper don't mix_. Strange metaphor, but ok, it worked. Light and dark didn't mix- which was the same thing. Festivities and darkness, sadly, did mix- thus the dark forest with portals to events. Also, Halloween- the darkest holiday of the year. It was Ally's favourite, really. She got to scare people for no particular reason.

Hell, she loved it.

Sadly, every day was not Halloween. But she still scared people- a force of habit, she would think. She smiled, the scent of her former companion lying in the cool air. It wasn't that the boy didn't bathe- he did frequently. It was the fact that the strange twenty-four year old delighted in the excessive use of very _strong _cologne. He _was_ getting better recently, due to Ally's badgering (what could she say- the guy had a bad sense of smell). The key word- 'was'. Now that Ally had left him with Vasaar and his plastic minded minions, Andre was likely to be another stinker.

The snow crunched under her feet as she trailed through the trees, the layout clear in her mind- he was leading her to the cemetery. She could distinguish another scent- one of her other… companions, obviously told to watch the battle. The truth behind the 'companionship' of her and the other chasers was a thin relation, but she wouldn't admit it. She refused to acknowledge it- they were mindless killers, her type of people- sure, but not people she was proud of. And they did everything that they were told.

"Conformist bitches…" she hissed aggressively, edging out of the cover of the trees. She immediately whirled back behind the tree nearest, sensing the coming crossbow bolt. It whirled past her, embedding itself in the snow metres behind her, out of sight. A loud thud told Ally that another bolt had smashed into the tree she was hiding behind.

"Come on out Ally, the master wants you home," someone called out to her, his deep voice echoing with his bloodlust. "And me too, and your brothers and sisters… I still owe you a game of chess, Al." Ally laughed, resting her head against the tree.

"Rather welcoming from a guy who just shot at my head," she murmured softly.

"What was that, Al?"

"I said you're a useless git, Andy," she yelled out, eyes closed. She felt the ground tremor as Andre stamped his foot at the combined use of an insult and a pet name.

"You're not a protag, Alana," he christened snidely. "Never will be- that man in red can't keep you tame forever, I think you know."

Ally rolled her eyes, noting the use of her first name. "You think now?" she taunted, sneaking a look around the tree to see where he was. He was out of her sight, but she was clearly in his. She ducked back behind the tree as another silver bolt flew past her. "Did that happen before or after Mister Vasaar stuck your face to the floor for running into the glass door again?"

Andre growled furiously at the insult, his pride suffering from each verbal blow. "After…" he hissed back. Ally was using the vibrations he created every time he moved and the direction his voice was coming from to pinpoint his exact station. She smiled to herself.

"The extra blood must've helped your brain start working… assuming you even had a brain…" she continued simply, eyes closed. She had to keep him talking. "Do you have a brain, Andy?" He was fuming, she could feel it. And with his new partner ignored beside him, he was doomed.

"You stupid little… you're the most ungrateful piece of…"

"What should I be grateful for- your crappy aim? Or the fact that you made me feel special just because you stood next to me in public, so then I didn't feel sorry for myself."

"Are you _implying_-"

"That you're ugly? Yes! You're a feculent maggot and I'm going to rearrange your face so you don't have to wallow in the self pity anymore," she told him, grinning as she turned to the tree, fingers clawing into the rough bark as she climbed up it slowly, not making a sound (a/n. if you've seen 'The Covenant' you'll know the climbing motion- it relies on magic).

"Then why don't you do it!" Andre shouted. He didn't know a thing. "You never appreciate a thing- so why don't I just leave you dead so you can start again? It takes two, Ally, so get your ass out here and fight me instead of cowering in the shadows!"

Ally rolled her eyes- he was an awfully uncreative boy. And obnoxious. And inattentive, conceited, and god knew how many other things. Her eyes roaming the cemetery to make sure of Andre's location, she grasped the thick branch boredly, her back on the trunk. She was high enough to have a good view of the whole of Halloween town and looked out curiously to the blank plain a little away- all that was left of Oogie Boogie's mansion, sighting a glimmer. Even when she won against Andre, there was still a score to settle.

And there he was, black smudge against the white snow behind a large headstone. And beside him, her favourite brother- Christian. He was there for the view, apparently, probably to report to Vasaar exactly what happened and collect more damned data. He was just a watcher this time, for that she was glad- she had no intention of fighting him. She'd been working to give him a mind, and it had been working. His bloodlust had been receding, but she could see from the way he moved that it had been brought back in full force. He moved like a predator, stiff and flowing at the same time. And that made Ally angry. _Really_ angry. And, well, a _really _angry Ally was one thing and one thing only.

Not pretty.

Ally gathered her strength and pushed off the tree, flying undetected through the air toward her former partner. Shades of Grey appeared in a flash in her hands as she hurtled towards him. Andre turned his hazel eyes to her, surprise clear before she rammed him, sending him stumbling as her feet graced the ground. She took a swing with her keyblade, finding it blocked by someone else's. She did a double take- the watcher had decided to get involved. It wasn't Andre's Keyblade.

It was Christian's.

* * *

Oooh, cliffy… there's some history here, can't you tell? Heh, I could've kept going but I have this odd fascination with posting within two days and I've been lacking lately. Uh. Sora will be in said battle, don't worry. 


	7. The End And The Beginning

Hello my dearest readers (… and not so dearest readers, too, I've got your number…). I don't think I've updated in a few days. Well too bad, I like sleeping in. A lot. And I went to the movies with my mother! I'm not anywhere near ashamed, I love my mum. Also, my sister came. Some dude sat infront of me and I couldn't see properly. I compensated, don't you worry.

Now, amidst my myspace music gallivanting and sleeping in, I'm listening to Daniel Bedingfield and writing another chapter. Daniel Bedingfield is awesome to the max (lol, jess), so no ripping THANKYOU!

Cookies for all my fantastic reviewers- they're chocolate chip and MnM, so if there are any left over THEY'RE MINE!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts and blah, blah, BLAH! …you know the deal…

Sora: She's right, you know? This is… what… the seventh chapter! Shouldn't you know she's a jobless year nine kid whose room is painted orange, already?

Riku: I want to know something!

Me: …What…? -.-

Riku: Why is it only ever guys helping with your disclaimer?

Me: …

* * *

**Chapter seven (possibly eight or six, I'm a little confused here…)**

A six year old Ally, a fourteen year old Andre, and an eleven year old Christian sat on the clock tower of Twilight town. Ally's violet eyes scanned the landscape, taking in the soft dusk light, her fingers entwined with her older brother's as she memorised the beautiful sight. Her eleven year old brother, Christian, stared blankly at a building not far from them, not taking in a thing, his short, light blonde, spiky hair being tousled in the breeze.

_For once in his life, the dark haired boy, the eldest, was silent. Unfortunately it was only because he was stuffing his face with a neon blue coloured ice cream. Ally tried to ignore him, failing dismally as he slurped up more ice cream, dribbling it down his chin. For a fourteen year old, he wasn't extremely conventional- far from it. As such, he chose to try and lick the blue liquid off his face._

_In the effort, he began to disturb Christian's indifferent peace, which annoyed Ally in turn. She didn't like it when people took advantage of her brother's insensitivity. Sensing her discomfort, the blonde haired boy placed a hand on the older boy's shoulder and pushed him off the tower carelessly, a slight smile touching his lips as his little sister laughed._

_She watched in wonder as Andre kept falling, disappearing into a black portal before he hit the ground. She memorised the look on his face- priceless._

"_Can we goes to see the snows, brother?" she asked her blonde counterpart loudly, searching his blank electric-blue eyes for a reply. She seemed to find it as she gave a quick squeal and put her arms around her unresponsive brother. "We'll goes see 'dis 'Sandy Claws' that theys are always talking about! And the skeletons man! You know, the ones from years 'n' years agos…"_

_The childish accent seemed to ignite something in the older boy, and he stood up, hauling the younger girl onto his back for a piggyback ride after they'd slipped back inside the station. The violet-eyed girl continued her excited rant as her brother carried her through the town quietly, his sister's arms loosely around his neck. The younger girl finally came to a stop with her rant and submitted to his inevitable silence comfortably. She yawned, her energy for the day thoroughly spent and snuggled into her older brother's back._

"_Thank you… for being such a good… big brother…" she murmured as she fell asleep, leaving a small smile on her not-so-mindless brother's lips. He hesitated as he tried to form words that hadn't been spoken to him with an order._

" _I-I… l-love y-you, l-lit-tle sister…"_

_By this time, though, the young girl was already asleep…_



"Brother…" she managed weakly before she was batted backwards by her brother's sharp keyblade. "In Between…" she called softly to the blade, watching as it shivered in the twenty one year old's hand. It was almost a perfect mirror to hers- the glassy metallic exterior housing a neon blue liquid-like substance instead of crimson. Like Ally's blade, the glass blade separated into tiny strands of the material to weave around the simplistic grip intricately.

The next moment the blade was at her throat, forcing her eyes up to Andre's coffee coloured ones. He studied her cockily for a moment, raising his hand to scratch at his face. His short, dark brown hair was at most, four centimetres long, and messy, the same coloured fairly thin facial hair stretching from his sideburns across his chin and upper lip. The look suited him, sadly.

He was wearing a fluro pink shirt, clearly not over his New Years celebrations. Accompanying this shirt was a white long-sleeved jumper, the zipper undone for a view of his shirt (how he wore the thing was entirely beyond Ally) and his favourite pants- his blue skinny jeans. Ally made a gagging noise as she surveyed him, pulling throw-up faces.

"You're fashion sense doesn't complement you," she laughed, eyes roaming to her brother's blank face. She pouted. "You aren't embarrassing him for fun, are you Chris?" she asked. "You aren't supposed to demean him without me!" she complained. There was a familiar glimmer in his eyes as she said the words and she realised the difference between the old blank Christian and the new one.

Perhaps not so 'in line'… 

She smiled as she heard the twenty four year old acquaintance spluttering. Christian was clad in a complimenting fashion- black cargo pants with a black studded belt (the buckle being in the shape of a bat with small sapphire eyes), a simple white sleeveless shirt and a black coat over the top that went down almost to his knees. With the hand not holding his blade, he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a black device with a cord wrapped tightly around it. He held it out for her silently, not even watching as she took it from his hand hesitantly.

"Did the master give you that?" Andre questioned loudly, his tone commanding obedience. Ally was reminded of her earlier musings about the boy- _conceited!_ She twirled Christian's present in her fingers before pocketing it subtly. Andre had conveniently forgotten about the gift in a matter of seconds, more interested in the chaser's inefficiency in following orders. "This all has to do with her making you think! You're a useless host, anyway!"

A host for stronger orders- every chaser's fate. Aggravated, Andre turned his attention back to Ally's calm face and raised his hand, a frivolous looking blade appearing in his hand (a/n. rofl, felt for Andre's purposes I needed to use the word…). It didn't look even a tad sharp- the blade being a bright pink while the hilt was neon green. Flowers and streamers hung off the blade, another spot of colour in the world. Ally burst out laugh, she just couldn't help herself.

"You _so_… need… to… work on… your image, dude!" she managed between fits of laughter. The boy's brow furrowed in anger as he prepared himself to stab at the already subdued Ally, whose brother's blade was still at her neck. She just smiled boredly at the oncoming blow. She wasn't afraid of death and she wasn't afraid of him. She didn't even closed her eyes as he brought his keyblade down towards her eyes, although a look of confusion crossed over her face as the pink blade stopped short.

"Much too frivolous for your own good," came a familiar voice from her left. Then she realised that Andre's blade had been blocked by another. The Oathkeeper sat solidly between her and the Irksome Troll (a/n. I'm talking about the keyblade, not Andre… though let's rule it as a dual meaning… lol). She looked inquiringly to her left to see the vampiric looking Sora, fringe covering one of his blue eyes while the other glare meaningly at Andre.

"Sora… why are you _here_?" she asked him happily. "Shouldn't you be snowed in with Mister Roxas?" He shook his head as she lifted Shades of Grey to hold off Christian's blade.

"I came to help you, Ash," he explained simply.

"But… _why_?" she questioned him quizzically, uncomprehending of the reasoning behind his actions.

"'Cause, Ash. That's what friends do." She smiled, taking a step away from In Between quietly.

"I've never had a friend before. But when does it end- I've heard all sorts of deaths for friendship." Sora just laughed, eyes flicking between their two opponents.

"Friends don't kill each other, Ash," he told her simply. "They just help each other out of sticky situations."

"Ally can't have a friend," Andre said stonily, causing Christian to glance at him angrily. Andre didn't notice it, while Ally stared at her brother with comprehension and Sora just smiled, looking away. Christian meant him no harm, so it wasn't his problem. It wasn't Ally's problem either, as her brother consented to step backwards from the small gathering, In Between disappearing from his hand. Andre and Sora locked eyes and Ally chanced a look at her brother, catching his gaze. He winked. Ally smiled.

Not so 'in line' at all… 

"My challenge was for Ally, Keyblade Bearer. You've no business in this matter," Andre spat, trying to talk himself out of the looming predicament. Sora just rolled his eyes, exerting more power into the force of his Keyblade against Andre's. Then he kicked the older man in the shin.

"I believe it is, though. Friends make it their business." Andre shrugged, trying to play it cool.

"Make it your business then."

"I will."

In a flash the two males were clashing blades at an alarmingly fast rate. Ally stumbled back, avoiding the darting blades (and more importantly, the darting boys). She dropped her keyblade boredly as it vanished, then turned to her brother, watching him curiously. She cocked her head to one side and waited for his eyes.

"Are you still in practice, Christian?" she asked him tauntingly, attracting his bored attention. He looked at her in wonder for a moment as they both drew twin staffs- plain steel capped wood with leather grips. Ally smirked. "Shall we give them a real show?" In a short moment they were together, whirling and dodging attacks before parrying a swipe or two with a ringing thud. Amidst it, Ally thought she heard a reply.

"We shall…"



"Where did they _go_?"

Kairi sat down in the snow, waiting for her companions to stop arguing. They kept going for minutes and she rolled her eyes, lying back in the snow as it melted around her, the icy touch making her skin tingle almost as much as Sora's. _Bad thoughts_, she berated herself as a shade of pink tinged her cheeks and she smiled slightly. Said thoughts were really, really _nice _in her opinion, especially without Naminé's annoying intrusions. Having the other girl out of her head was oddly relaxing… for both of them.

Said nobody was currently flirting with a certain blonde male companion, which was, to an extent, rather sickening, in Kairi's opinion. Maybe because she wasn't allowed to flirt with the boy she liked. Then again, maybe she actually did and never realised- she'd have to pay closer attention to her antics in the future.

And his.

She had her eyes closed as she thought over all of it, pursing her lips as she thought about her damned marriage clause. She was supposed to marry, if she couldn't find a suitable candidate herself, a Mister Lucius Fernandez. It wasn't an extremely appealing name. And she knew quite well who she'd prefer to marry, despite a lack of a constant relationship of any kind. With the way they were going, they couldn't stay 'friends' forever, they both knew. Of course, they were thinking of different reasons.

Sora… 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a distant shout. A very familiar 'ouch, I just got hit with a pointy stick' shout that the auburn-haired girl wasn't forgetting anytime soon. She sat up, looking to see that the only others to have heard _anything _over Goofy and Donald's argument were Riku and a certain tall and bone thin skeleton man. In moments the three of them were running through the trees towards the owner of the sound, only to emerge at the edges of the cemetery.

And there he was- her infatuation, smacking a brown haired man in his twenties around with his keyblade while their newest acquaintance was fighting a rather attractive guy with poles. None of the participants of this battle seemed to acknowledge any presence other than the four of them. The rest of Kairi's current group trailed up behind them, watching the scene play out warily. She snuck a glance at her companions- Riku was watching Sora with a fake indifference, really worrying but not likely to show it before he glanced at Ally's battle every few seconds to see how she was faring.

Donald and Goofy were biting back encouragement for their long time friend as he pummelled his opponent, occasionally finding a difficult resistance. Naminé was splitting her attention equally, her artistic eyes analysing every tiny detail, probably memorising the scene as a sketch for later on. Jack was watching the fight quietly, watching both separate tousles silently, occasionally pulling a face at a particularly nasty hit here and there. Roxas was the most interesting.

He often looked as though he had every intention to follow his other into battle, a gleam in his blue eyes showing that he'd gladly take his Sora's place. Then he'd turn to Ally's battle with intrigue, watching the intricate sequencing with awe as the girl parried and dodged with an unmatched grace. And in the whole time, his mouth twitched only once.

"Roxas…?" she asked quietly, wanting his opinion- he did, after all, know the most about what was going on. In reply he glanced at her and shrugged non-commitedly. He motioned toward Ally's battle slowly, a soft look in his eyes as he surveyed it.

"Not our fight…" he said. "But watch her move. You should ask for lessons- damn, _I _should ask for lessons…"

"That girl's got a grace unheard of in most worlds," Jack explained slowly, glancing at the black haired girl too, a slight blur of awe sliding across his face. "We'd all do well to learn from her- her wisdom may indeed be matched only by very few." Riku sniffed.

"You have fun with that- I ain't learning nothing from a stupid girl," he growled lethargically, leaning against a tree. Noting a gleam of silver, he turned to see a silver crossbow bolt embedded in the thick trunk, sap sliding down the bark greedily. He stared at it for a moment, then stretched out his hand and gripped the steel tightly, pulling it out of the hard wood. Kairi smirked. Ally was _so _under his skin.

"I think it's about time," Roxas murmured. "She won't hurt her brother, and something tells me he won't do a thing." He nodded at the man Sora was fighting. "But she'll want _his_ acknowledgement as the better fighter. Andre's battle may be with Sora, but Ash'll end it…"

As if on cue, the structure whirlings and clashes came together, still fighting in their consecutive pairs. They collided, partaking in each other's battle fiercely- blade to staff and staff to blade. Christian threw Sora's keyblade away with a flick of his wrist. Ally danced between the two of them in the moment that Sora spun away for the rebuttal, staff reconnecting with Andre's keyblade as he took a swing at Sora's unprotected left side

The dark haired chaser tried unsuccessfully to push her staff away, laying all his weight behind the blade, and hissing as she slanted the staff in her hands and sent his being rushing to the ground as his momentum and weight was diverted on a different path. Ally let go of one end of her staff, right hand taking up a grip one side on the wood, and spun, sweeping the pole across the ground behind her with the intention to sweep her brother's feet out from under him while Andre struggled to push himself up off the ground.

Christian knocked the Oathkeeper away from him again and jumped over the staff, twirling his own in one hand before swiping at Ally's head. She ducked, parrying his second swipe before the repetitive rap of wooden staff on wooden staff began again, cutting off momentarily as Ally spun to block an incoming blow from Andre and whack him upside the head with her staff in the course of only a few seconds.

Sora watched, heavily breathing after a good thirty minutes of combat. Ally stopped, staring straight ahead while the two rivals stood on either side of her, bearing their weapons. All four of them were suffering from accelerated pulses and heavy breath. They were silent, unaware of their watchers, only of the near closing of the skirmish. Ally held her staff warily, not looking at either adversary, eyes still fixed in between them while Sora watched, panting softly, his breath fogging up the air. Andre's dark eyes darted between Christian's motionless presence, Sora's state of rest, and Ally's hesitation. Christian was the first to move, stepping out of a combatant stance and watching his staff disappear as he stepped away from Ally.

There was silence again before the Oathkeeper disappeared from Sora's hand and he too stepped back, sitting tiredly in the snow at the base of a headstone. Andre glanced at the two other boys, gaze lingering longer on Christian as he replaced and tightened his grip on his keyblade.

"You came here to fight _with _me, Chris. You will do as you're told," he ordered coldly as Ally's hands tightened around her staff. "Kill her!" he controlled angrily, the side of his head throbbing where he had been hit. Christian stared at him blankly before switching his gaze to Ally and exchanging a questioning expression. Then he locked eyes with Andre again and shook his head, surprising the boy with his independence. Ally grinned.

"Looks like my brother isn't yours to order, Andre," she laughed, watching as the boy fumed. "That's why he pushed you off the tower ten years ago, why he'd do the same now. You can't control him, Andre, 'cause you can't even control yourself."

Andre hissed angrily, delighting the girl with his fury. He lashed out with his Keyblade, rage plastered on his face. Ally spun her staff to catch the blade and stepped next to him. With one end of her staff still holding off his keyblade, she swept the other end around behind his knees and pulled his legs out from underneath him. He fell in the snow and coughed warily as he realised her staff point was at his throat. His keyblade disappeared as they stared daringly at each other.

"Accept it," she warned him, her voice soft and tinged with a deathly tone. She glared at him with hate-filled eyes while he stared back with fear.

"You… you wouldn't kill me Ash…" he told her softly, more pleading than anything. "W… W-would you?"

"Wanna try me?" she challenged, pressing the steel-capped staff into his neck.

"C'mon… We… we've been friends since forever! Three… three thousand years, Ash…" he begged. Her eyes gleamed and she smiled at him cruelly before turning to give Sora a weak smile.

"Friends don't kill each other, Andre," she said, her staff disappearing. There was a strange tearing sound as she stepped back and ripped open a swirling dark hole in the layout, leading to the realm of nothing. "Go. Your life isn't mine to take- not today. Go tell Mister Vasaar you've lost. And give him my regards- his computer should be fixed soon…"

Andre began to crawl towards the portal at her words, earning an extra kick in the gut as he tried to rise for good measure. Christian headed for the portal too, slowly though, taking delicate steps through the white snow. She stopped him as he passed her, grabbing his hand while Andre vanished into the portal. She looked at him with sad eyes, other hand in her pocket. He turned slightly, fixing his blue eyes on her purple ones.

"I'll see you again, right? You'll come with me, Chris… right?"

He smiled sadly, so unchaser-like, then seemed to nod as she let go of him and he disappeared after Andre, leaving her to stare at the closing portal with Sora watching her tiredly. She laughed as she felt his curious gaze and slumped her shoulders.

"My brother, Christian," she told him quietly, making sure he was the only one to hear. "Every time. He was unresponsive. I started to… change that. He can _be _now, but it seems he likes to play double…"

"He's a good actor," Sora managed softly, watching as his friends came down from the cemetery. He grasped his left leg and groaned, feeling a possible break as his fingers pulled up the blood-soaked cloth. He hadn't even realised he'd been hurt until he'd sat down and the adrenaline had left him. Ally sat next to him, waiting patiently for his companions. "Is it… over?" Ally glanced at him curiously and shook her head.

"Depends. Exactly what 'it' are we talking about here?" she asked him cryptically. He indicated to the environment around them before returning his attention to his leg. He gathered some snow in a gloved hand and pressed it against his bare wound on his left leg. The gash went across his leg, six or seven centimetres in length, and was deeper than he cared to see. Blood had covered most of his leg, casing his skin with a crimson sheen. He washed the redness away with the white snow, feeling the icy powder melt beneath his fingers.

"Nowhere near, Sora," she replied. "You should fix that, you'll need to fight again soon." He complied as his friends approach cautiously, signalling for Donald's magical treatment.

"It's not over?" Roxas asked, overhearing the end of their conversation. Ally glanced up at him sadly, pulling her brother's present from her pocket before she smiled at the blonde characteristically.

"Mister Roxas," she began slowly, unfurling the cord in her hand. She looked again at her brother's gift, smiling at the total irrelevance of it. "It hasn't even begun…"

* * *

Comment me, Duckies! To clear a few things up about…

Andre- I'm basing this character on my unrelated cousin- he was wearing a fluro pink shirt on New Years Eve –which I think may have been a girl's shirt, might I add – and I got all his friends to help me attack him with party poppers. 'Frivolous' was the twenty four year old's (and his friends') word of the month at the time, thus the need to include it. What can I say, Jakey's my favourite relative to annoy in the world. It's okay to hate him, but you can love him if ya REALLY want to (not that I know why you WOULD…)

Vasaar- you'll never guess what I'm making this dude out to be until the very last minute, don't think about it.

Christian- I'm character building for Ally, and I needed another chaser. He so kicks Andre's ass, don't ya know. Uhm… maybe I'll give him a few basics of my other unrelated cousin…

Ally is not on the Symbiant side. she's on her own side. And her side is currently working with Sora's side. so HA! If you're confused, ask me to answer something and i'll help yas out, yeh?

Okay, done now. Starting new chapter. Hahahaha! 'till next time, Duckies…


	8. Pyrotechnics

Disclaimer: I would generally tell you 'I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!' While I must remind you of that fact, today I'm going to be different and say 'I DO NOT OWN WORDS! I NEVER WILL! MY FAVOURITE LANGUAGES ARE AL BHED AND GIBBERISH, BUT EITHER WAY, I STILL DON'T OWN ANY SINGLE WORD! AT ALL!!!

I'll tell you when I do.

For reasons of needing (note, not 'wanting') to get off Halloween Town, this chapter is gonna be kinda LONG!

Previously in the disclaimer… 

**Riku: I want to know something!**

**Me: …What…? -.-**

**Riku: Why is it only ever guys helping with your disclaimer?**

Me: … 

_Continuing…_

Riku: Really… it's not that hard of a question…

Ally: Bugger off, Mister Riku.

Riku: NO! I HAVE A PERFECTLY VALID POINT AND I-

Sora: Dude, she's a girl…

Riku: Oh…

Roxas: 'Course she's not, she's a-

Ally: Finish that sentence and I'll have the writer let me tear your eyes out, Mister Roxas!

Me: Damn straight…

* * *

**Chapter Eight (of this I'm certain, I checked this time!)**

_Roxas's eyes opened to a pair of deep purple pools staring right back at him. He tried not to jump, managing to stop at a slight flinch. The girl righted herself to sit on the edge of the bed boredly, letting him sit up to watch her curiously. She'd been waiting for him to wake up for quite some time._

"_Mister Roxas, you said we'd meet wonderful people who would help us and be nice," the black haired girl complained sadly. "You said these memories of yours were true. Are you sure you aren't getting yourself confused with the Keyblade Master."_

_He snarled at the doubt, the Oblivion and Oathkeeper both appearing in his hands._

"_I __**am **__the keyblade master!" he defended, pressing the darker blade at her neck. She rolled her eyes and waggled a finger at him snidely._

"_Very nice trick, Mister Roxas, but laying in the depths of the outer worlds following orders from a group of Nobodies who are, at this very minute, trying to be the downfall of the real Keyblade Master, is __**not **__the best of all career choices," she taunted, pushing the keyblade away with loose fingers and standing up. She turned to the boy with her hands on her hips, waiting. He stared at her blankly for a moment before she made an exasperated expression and clomped him on the side of the head. "Are you going to get up anytime soon, or do I have to find this strange key chain on my own? I do believe Mister Riku's saving of the princess next year will, infact, be useless without it."_

_Roxas sighed. The demanding girl was a skilled fighter and a good ally, but when it came to social skills she was more than just a little rough around the edges. He stood up. She'd convinced him that their partnership was of the utmost importance if he were to live, but exactly what they were doing was beyond him- she told him the plan and he followed through, no questions asked. It was a beneficiary agreement- she got what she wanted and he and Axel got to see the worlds. He stood up slowly, following her to the door._

_This was going to be a long day…_



"Mister Roxas, are you familiar with the workings of pyrotechnics?"

Roxas eyed her curiously for a moment, wondering just where she was going with her line of questioning. Pyrotechnics was not a good way to go. It was a really, really _**bad **_direction to go in, actually, because then you'd turn out like Axel.

"…Vaguely…" he replied, cautiousness emanating in the one syllable. Ally quirked an eyebrow.

"You mean to tell me you associated with a pyromaniac for a number of months and only follow the workings of pyrotechnics '_vaguely_'…"

"… yes…" he told her. Her brow furrowed quickly as she glared at him suspiciously.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Mister Roxas?" she asked rhetorically, throwing a fistful of snow in Riku's direction as he opened his mouth to answer. "Smart ass," she cursed, poking her tongue out at him before turning back to her blonde haired friend. "Mister Roxas, if you intend to skirt around the question of your capabilities with fire, I'll have to go get your arsonist friend from your gummi ship. Would he do much better for this town?" Roxas shook his head. "I didn't think so."

"I'm familiar with the prospect- match to the flint, to the fuse, to the fuel," Sora piped in between a hiss of pain as Donald consented to disinfect his wound.

"From the spark to the clock, as the seconds start to drop," Roxas finished bitterly, eyeing his other warily. "Stick a matchbox in our hands and this whole place'll be alight." Ally shook her head.

"No, only the plain. Stretch your fingers, boys, we're going to light up the show."

"Pyrotechnics?" Kairi asked quietly, eager to be in the conversation. She eyed the black-haired girl warily. "You mean like-"

"-Fireworks," Donald cut in, a strange light in his eyes flaring at the mention. Sora chuckled.

"We've had past experiences. Donald loves fireworks, but the best show was in China…" he trailed off, eyes glazed over in memory. Goofy laughed at the reminiscence. "Mulan set Mushu loose in a room full of dry fuses. The dragon-bat gave us one hell of a show…"

He grinned a goofy genuine Sora grin in Ally's direction.

"I think we're more than a little experienced," Donald summed up happily as the girl stood up, turning to Jack Skellington, who was listening to the conversation quietly. She fixed him with a look. "Have you any fireworks, Mister Skellington?" she asked him engagingly. He smiled his toothy grin.

"Indeed I do, my friend. I'll ask Sally to find them for us quickly," he said beginning on his way into town. He stopped on a thought and turned to her quickly. "And call me Jack, the prefixes don't fit me." Ally nodded, slipping through the cemetery slowly, taking deliberate steps and scanning the headstones and the snow in between as if looking for something. The others began to chat again, unaware of exactly what she were about to have them do, but knowing, somehow, that it was important.

Donald finally murmured his cure spell, insisting that Sora stay seated for a few minutes to make sure that the spell took full effect on his broken leg. He then piled snow on the poor boy's leg for no apparent reason. Tiredly, Sora didn't protest. He flinched as someone sat down beside him quietly, wringing their hands nervously.

"What's up, Kairi?" he asked her, eyes closed as he staved off the fatigue. It was a loosing battle and he half opened his eyes. The girl smiled awkwardly, attracting his attention towards her. He took in her Halloween outfit for the first time, noting that her black and blue witch outfit was more cute than anything. Good thing he didn't have enough energy to blush at the time.

"You fought well…" she complimented, almost in a whisper. He smiled, eyes half closed, and smashed a hand full of snow onto his forehead with the intention of keeping himself awake. She giggled before turning silent again. "Sora, I can't fight like that. I can barely fight at all…"

He glanced at her warily. "What're you talkin' about, Kai?" he yawned, lazily pushing the crown on his head back into place. "You've fought Heartless before. You've fought me before, and you've fought Riku before… I'm pretty sure he let you win too, though…" He frowned. "I don't think I was supposed to say that." Kairi giggled.

"But I'm no good, Sora," she told him again, something like shame contaminating the words. "And the heartless… I'm…"

She trailed off uncertainly, not quite wanting to voice her weakness. He looked at her curiously. "Afraid?" he asked. He nodded as he saw a single tear slide down his friend's face. He brushed his fingers against her cheek and lifted her head so her eyes met his.

"Kai, we all get afraid," he explained softly, noting her distress. She locked eyes with his as he continued. "Me too. And Donald and Goofy- Roxas for sure. Nam does too, I'll bet you. And Riku, you know, though he won't admit it…" She smiled at the quip. "And we have every reason to- they're creepy heart stealing monstery-things that we only used to see in nightmares. But it's not about the fear, Kairi, it's about what you do to overcome it." He wiped the tear off her cheek with his thumb, watching her smile slightly and nod with absolutely no acknowledgement of how much his hand was _burning _in that moment. Honestly, he felt like it'd burst up in flames any second.

On top of that, he could feel a sense of intimacy building between them every second that they were sitting there without a word, so he turned away, trying to move his leg again and leaving her feeling rather unsatisfied side, just like him.

"To answer your other problem, Kairi, we aren't born capable in battle-wise situations. You _know _me and Riku spent every bloody day sparring until the darkness came, so we started pretty well. But if you still think your aren't good enough later, and I guarantee you _are_, Kairi, just ask us for help." He stood up cautiously, testing his legs with a fair amount of pressure before turning to help up Kairi. Riku walked over and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, handing him a metal canister quickly. Sora stared at it questioningly.

"You look like death, thought you might like some caffeine," the silver haired boy explained quietly. Sora's nose twitched and a second later he was downing the thermos's contents. After almost thirty seconds he was done, and he screwed the top back on before tossing it towards Goofy. He was clearly feeling the effect of the caffeine buzz.

"Coffee…" he murmured, dragging out the vowels as Ally walked back towards them with a light, dancing stride, the oddest items in her hands. The three of them stared at her quietly, and she looked up.

"What?" she asked, sitting down abruptly with her assortment of items. They didn't answer so she just shrugged, turning back to her small pile. She pulled two small shafts of metal about the thickness of an arrow and a little longer than her forearm from her stash and twirled them in her fingers as she looked up to stare at nothing in particular. "Samurai…" she murmured, as if writing off a list. "Samurai, samurai and samurai… dusks and shadows, so in no need of these…" Then she placed the alloy in the snow to the other side of her, closely following them with a roll of duct tape. She then picked up a small silver hip flask, unscrewed the cap, and took a few gulps of whatever was held inside before strapping it to her belt. She held, again, the gift from her brother- a small mp3 player with white earphones. She turned it on quietly, watching as the small screen flashed blue, and stuck one earphone in her ear.

"What's that?" Riku asked, unfamiliar with the device. She stuck her tongue out at him, refusing to answer as she turned on a particular song and began to go through the rest of her things while she waited for the fireworks.

"It's an mp3 player, dufus," Sora murmured, viewing his best friend boredly. "You put songs in it through the computer and then listen to them through the headphones- we had them at home." Riku stared at him blankly and shrugged, turning his attention back to Ally's belongings.

By this time the girl had picked up a black and white checkered wristband that looked a lot like Roxas's. She glanced at it, then at him flirting with a certain blonde girl, quirked an eyebrow and slipped it on her arm after she shrugged. She picked up two small chains, both with a clip on each end and a G-hook clipped on one side. She frowned and threw one to Sora, hanging the other from her belt. He caught the one she threw to him and stared at it questioningly.

"For your key chains, Sora," she sighed, opening a small cardboard box and pulling a variety of her own key chains out. She slid them onto the hook one by one and closed the clip with a short snap.

"How… many key chains have you got, Ash?" he asked, causing her to look up again. She quirked an eyebrow as she watched him curiously fiddle with the clips.

"Three hundred and seventy four," she replied quietly. "But I keep twenty-one with me. The rest are with Andre…" She rolled her eyes and groaned, slapping herself for the action. "Smart move, Ash…" Sora laughed.

"How'd you get so many, anyway?" he inquired, stepping away from Riku and Kairi as he did so. She fixed him with a doubtful look.

In response she pulled a spare chain from the box and piled snow into her fist with it, pressing the two items together in a death grip. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the snow for a moment before a soft red light shimmered through her fingers. She opened her eyes and stared at the finished product in her hand without showing Sora, who was standing a few steps infront of her. She raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly before tossing the chain to Sora.

"I make my own, remember?" she said, watching as he examined the new chain. It was a snowflake only a little smaller than his palm, a clear stone of ice in the middle and running across the lines of the snowflake's design, with the gleaming silver chain hanging off the top. The most interesting part of the glittering charm was the fact that it didn't melt, but it was pure ice. And it was freezing cold. "Keep it- it's as good as your Oathkeeper." She seemed to think about it for a moment before glancing curiously at Kairi. "Though, not as significant…"

"Hmm… What?" Sora started.

"Moral value, Sora, often chooses preference of a blade. Thought you knew. Thus the repetitive use of the Oathkeeper blade. Strength of a blade governs the harder battles, which is when you use the Oblivion and Ultima Weapon. Bond of Flame is moral, too…" She laughed. "Mister Riku doesn't have a preference- he only has one key chain…" He glared at her, causing her to laugh.

"Miss Kairi needs a new chain, too…" she mused before looking at Roxas. He wasn't paying the slightest attention to their conversation, although, by this time Naminé was. "Mister Roxas uses Sora's keyblades, though he was rather conceited about it before he met you, Sora. And Naminé doesn't use a keyblade at all, so there's no problem."

"What do I do in battle, then?" said blonde girl asked. Ally smiled.

"What you've done to Sora before- screw around with their heads. Magical expertise, I'm pretty sure Mister Vasaar said, too. And if he said it, he was right, because Mister Vasaar analyses all the damned data before doing a thing." Sora snorted, thinking back to their earlier conversation.

"Idiot," he murmured, causing Ally to nod.

"Damn straight."

Jack slid back into the picture, a box full of fireworks under each arm,

Sally trailing behind him with another. A few more Halloween town citizens followed, dropping boxes in the vicinity of the small party before heading back into town. Ally smiled at the growing pile, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Exactly _what _are we doing, anyway?" Riku asked boredly. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Sora, Jack, Mister Donald and Mister Roxas, with me, if you please. I've something you need to see," she told them, turning and leading them away from the others toward the curly hill, quite some way away from the others. They stopped on the top of the hill, throwing Ally questioning glances every few seconds. She just pointed over the walls to the plateau that formerly housed Oogie Boogie. For a moment they saw nothing, but then they saw a glimmer of white here and there.

They caught the movement of the shadows on the plain in their peripheral vision, and after a few moments they could discern the Heartless from the Nobodies and both from the environment.

Roxas and Sora both let out a simultaneous 'woah', while Donald squawked with wide eyes and Jack watched the writhing army with sad eyes. And in the middle of it all, there was a large figure on a platform trying in vain to control the struggling mass, bugs spitting out of his large body at the seams.

"We're… fighting this?" Roxas asked, face pale. "We're gonna blow 'em up with fireworks to weaken their reinforcements… Go Ash."

She smiled, exchanging a nod with Sora as they took one last look at the seething darkness and the bag of bugs directing them. Then she turned to head back to the others.

"C'mon boys, we've got a bag of bugs to slice…"



"Okay, here's how it goes… Mister Roxas is with Miss Kairi, Sora is with Miss Naminé and Mister Riku can tag along with me," Ally said, fully in command of the operation. "Mister Donald can go with Mister Roxas too, because Mister Roxas can't even fix a broken nose for lack of magic or knowledge of first aid, Mister Goofy will be with Sora for the extra firepower and Jack is coming with me too."

"I object," Roxas protested. "Why are you ordering us around, and why isn't Sora with Kairi and me with Naminé?" Ally rolled her eyes.

"Firstly, I'm telling you what to do, Mister Roxas, because I'm the only one here with half a mind as to what's going on, I think we've been through that in the past," she replied lethargically. "And secondly, Sora is with Miss Naminé instead of you because if I put you with her, there would be next to no fighting on your part. We all know you'd stand there and flirt with her through the entire thing, and I'm not surrendering you to the Heartless because of your overload of hormones, Mister Roxas."

Roxas and Naminé both blushed while the rest of their companions sniggered.

"To put it shortly, Rox, we need everyone working as a team, no distractions," Sora explained simply, holding back a chuckle at his other's expense.

"If we need cooperation, why the _heck _is Riku going with Ash?" he retorted quietly. "They haven't even had a conversation yet and they're not getting along. Unless she intends to get them both kil-"

"My intention, Mister Roxas, is to save this world here, as you very well know. No one is going to be destroyed tonight, except a whole lot of dark crawly critters and that oversized sack of bugs. Mister Riku and I can come to an agreement, we don't have to like each other to do that," she told him. She glanced at Sora curiously. "Now, lets go set off some fireworks, unless you intend to let this world fall…?"

Roxas closed his mouth angrily, Donald and Kairi pulling him away from the cemetery to end at their station. Sora's group set out shortly after them, Naminé looking as though she were about to drill the Keyblade master for something. Goofy trailed behind the two of them contently, kicking up the snow as he went and dragging a box of fireworks with him to accompany the two that Sora had.

Riku was picking up a box of the currently compact explosives, as was jack, when Ally grabbed one. She waited for him to stand upright, glaring him into motion. He glanced at her blankly before move slowly off to their position, Jack Skellington striding eagerly ahead of him, wanting of the battle. Ally kicked the silver-haired boy on the back of his foot, egging him on.

"Mush, Mister Riku, mush," she ordered jokingly.

"I will go as slow as I want, thank you very much," he replied grudgingly. She kicked him again, this time harder and in the back of the calf. He could feel her glaring at him joyously, enjoying annoying him.

"I said mush!"



The fuse was burning down. Ally whispered it in her head as she saw the wick sparking. '_Five… four… three… two…_** BOOM!**' the rocket shot down to the plateau from the wall, zooming down towards a particular cluster of heartless with a thin smoke trail coming out behind it. It impacted against the ground, half bursting out in fantastic colours and half an explosion, sending a collection of hearts rising through the smoke to the sky, off to Kingdom Hearts.

As if on cue, seven or eight other shots came of the walls from two other places along it, Sora, Roxas and Donald doing their jobs well. Various patches of the plateau went up in flames, more hearts joining the dark sky with the bright colours. Ally grinned.

"Mister Riku, stay _here_," she ordered loudly, wanting of the battle. She jumped off the stone wall quickly, disappeared into the smoky dust cloud on the way down. Riku grunted, setting off their last firework and nodding to Jack as they both made for the wall.

"Fat chance…"



"Lit fuse, let's go," Sora said quickly, touching his icy keyblade point to the tied together fuses so they all lit at once. Then he picked up Naminé bridal style and hurled himself over the wall. Goofy laughed and jumped after them.

"This should be interesting…"



"I saw him jump."

"Kairi, he wouldn't have jumped."

"This is Sora we're talking about. Of course he would've jumped!" Kairi replied exasperatedly.

"I saw Riku and Jack jump after that Ally girl," Donald piped in quickly.

"Well they would, no reason we should. I mean, even if he did, Goofy would-" he was cut off by Kairi.

"Nam went with him."

"Okay, let's go."



Sora loved the new power. It coursed through him, revitalising him and healing every scratch in seconds. It was strange and alien to him, but he knew it was his. Totally his. And the darkness had nothing to do with it, of that he was sure. He found his valour form upon him in moments, enhancing his speed, but his companions were still intact on the battlefield- all of them. The power was his own.

With Oathkeeper in one hand and his new weapon- Blades of Ice- in the other, he darted through the masses, tearing a path as he went. Hearts flew up around him as heartless dissipated at the mercy of his blades. A fire danced in his eyes as he went, adrenaline fuelling the fluid movements. And then he spotted something different in the mass- a lone nobody. It was there for a moment, the dusk turning to face him slowly, it's body moving like the damned things always did.

He watched it curiously, noting it's zipper for a mouth. He realised he'd never really looked at a dusk with detail before, then shrugged it off. It didn't matter. Ally seemed to think so too, because in a slight moment she'd dropped in through the low hanging cloud above them and impaled the dusk on her keyblade, her feet on it's back and Shades of Grey through it's head. She smiled as it disappeared and looked up to Sora with a giggle.

"Move like their trying to seduce you, haven't you noticed? Never liked the nasty buggers." Then she pushed herself off the disappearing nobody, vanishing into the cloud above them again to appear somewhere else a moment later. Sora realised she was using the cloud to her advantage. He nodded his approval before turning his attention back to the destruction of the army. He darted off through the clearing again, slicing and dicing happily with his dual keyblades, totally forgetting about protecting the princess's nobody as he left the job to Goofy.

He came across his own nobody, also dual wielding as he destroyed the surrounding heartless. He found himself back-to-back with his other, panting slightly at the effort.

"You left Naminé," his blonde counterpart commented briefly.

"You left Kairi," Sora retorted, grinning as the Heartless surrounded them.

"Touché." Roxas laughed, remembering a scene of two of Sora's friends and copying the direction of the mid-battle conversation. "Think we can take them?"

"Oh, I'll be fine," Sora replied jokingly. "But if one more shows up- then we're in trouble…"

"Nah, that'll be the one _I _fight," Roxas explained comically before they both leapt away from each other, drilling through the thick ring of Heartless quickly.

Sora twirled his keyblades slowly, engaging in battle with three layabout samurai nobodies at the same time. He parried on sword, spun to block from another, and then ran his icy blade through the third samurai's defence. The first samurai came at him from behind, and he was too slow to block the long katana. It arced towards him before it miraculously burst out in flames.

"Even _think _about skewering Roxas's other and you're fired, got it memorized?"

Axel shot past with flames at his fingers and his spiky weapons in his hands. Sora grinned at the man who was clearly attracted by the lights earlier.

"Roxas is over there," he announced, pointing to where his other had been last time he'd seen him. Axel grinned and headed off while Sora ruined the last samurai nobody with a particularly brutal slice through the abdomen. A moment later he found Roxas and Axel by his side again, this time in the presence of two certain female companions. Sora and Axel glanced at Roxas curiously, noting his staring at the blonde girl.

"Damn, Ally was right," he stated, blocking an attack from a shadow heartless as it leapt at the blonde boy's head. "Get it outta your system, Roxas, or I'll let the next one have you and you'll never fight again."

"I agree with that, Roxas," Axel backed up surprisingly, throwing the disk in his right hand like a boomerang. It sliced through a line of incoming heartless and return to his hand. Roxas looked at the two of them with a quirked eyebrow before stepping towards a confused Naminé and pressing his lips lightly against hers.

"Not the most romantic place to do such a thing, but WAY TO GO ROXAS!" Axel shouted at the blushing couple as Roxas stepped back. Sora was motionless.

"I never knew I had it in me," he commented briefly, shaking his head. While he was distracted, another samurai nobody had snuck up on him and hurtled it's katana towards the inattentive brunette. Kairi looked at him in horror as the sword impaled him through the lower left of his abdomen. Roxas shouted and threw his keyblade at the samurai's head, and Sora stared down at the sword with one eyebrow raised. He took a slight step back before gripping the blade softly (a/n. katanas are generally long-ish swords, so for Sora's health purposes it hasn't gone too far into his body and he can't reach the hilt). He swore.

"I hate it when people stab me," he murmured, rolling his eyes as he slid the thin steel out of his flesh, eyeing the bloodied metal warily. He threw it on the ground angrily, looking out to another samurai nobody with a deathly look in his eye as, and, looking over the fact he didn't know he'd dropped them in the first place, his keyblades appeared back in his hands. He strode off towards the samurai angrily, ignoring his previous wound and the people behind him.

"I am _not _a personal sheath, you stupid pieces of-"

His rant was cut short as he disappeared back into the battle. Roxas followed after him with a musing about bug spray or something of the type and Axel was soon going after the both of them, hands ablaze.

"I think they forgot about us," Naminé mused loudly, tracing her lips with her fingers. Kairi laughed and shook her head as they trailed after the guys.

"Boys will be boys…"



Riku was pissed off.

It was rather hard to make the silver haired boy angry, he had to admit it. But that damned girl got so far under his skin that he began to wonder if she hadn't actually been given a map to his entire mind and figured out exactly what made him tick.

It pissed him off that she was a better fighter than him. It pissed him off that she'd saved his neck twice that half hour already, and there was bound to be a third time. It pissed him off that she actually knew more than him about _everything_, that she switched her personality oh so damned easily, she delighted in the use of prefixes, and she moved with an ease that he knew he couldn't match. He couldn't beat her dancing steps and lithe moves, or her strength, skill and speed.

But what pissed him off the most was that he found himself irrevocably attracted to the girl.

He couldn't get her off his mind, and it made him seethe. He took it out on the heartless around him, tearing through the ranks indifferently. And just when it seemed he'd forgotten about his annoying new acquaintance, she'd dart back into the picture around him and save his life.

And that pissed him off too.

The cloud began to disperse and he could see her nearing the big bag of bugs on the platform in the middle. Oogie Boogie, reacquainted with the living for the second time, was fuming- his army had been reduced to shreds by a group of ten people. His eyes set on the girl and he snarled.

"Weren't you the distraction!?! You've turned against your master!?" he growled. Then his eyes set on the keyblade master approaching the platform too. Sora joined Ally on the platform, staring down the bag of bugs.

"We've fought together once tonight," he told her simply, an animalistic gleam in his eyes. "Will we fight again?" Ally exchanged a look with him, turning back to Oogie Boogie quizzically.

"You destroyed my planning last time. But now you're going down- Oogie Boogie style," he sung, implicating a grizzly fate for Sora. Sora and Ally both rolled their eyes, taking a stance and drawing their consecutive weapons. Oathkeeper, Blade of Ice, Ally's staff and Shades of Grey all pointed at the bug-filled sack accusingly. Ally giggled and Sora chuckled as the sack took two steps back, seeing he'd met his matches.

"We make a good team," Ally murmured. "A vampire prince and a rebel chaser."

"Very intimidating, don't you think?" he asked her, laughing. She smiled and nodded as Oogie Boogie took a step back towards them, fending off his fear, then tightened her grip on her staff in her left hand and her keyblade in her left.

"Let's dance, bugboy."

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

With nowhere to run from the beginning of the fight, Oogie Boogie was faring badly. He'd summoned countless Heartless and Nobodies to fight the two opponents, but the two keyblade wielders staved off any sense of fatigue or self-destruction. The others had stopped to watch the fight, standing idly in different places of the vacant land. Oogie would summon a group of critters to fight his adversaries and they would respond by destroying the summons.

Ally had already gotten a lucky shot in on the bag of bugs, gouging a split in his fat stomach the length of her forearm. He'd patched it up messily, stifling the flow of bugs. He'd sprung a few traps in reply to their destruction of his forces. Deformed toy soldiers from his non-existent game room sprung up from the ground and sent a round of bullets Sora's way before Ally swung her Keyblade along the row, cutting all of them in half. A heartless operated pendulum had begun swinging at one point, sharp edges cutting at anything in its path. Sora had taken the time to sever the cold metal from it's heartless operators before turning away from the harmless result and focusing again on Oogie Boogie.

Ally had him cornered, threatening him with her keyblade. Every shot she took at him stopped short, blocked my something invisible. She stepped back and frowned at him, her staff disappearing and her keyblade point dropping to the ground.

"Give up, I'll make it quick," Oogie taunted eagerly. A little _too _eagerly. Ally pulled her silver flask from her hip, uncapping and taking a swig. Then she shook the flask, as if to see how much was left in it, before throwing the contents on Oogie's cloth body. She smiled as he sniffed it, the tail of his head swinging uncertainly. Then she recapped the flask and strapped it back to her belt. "What is this? It's makes me feel…" She smiled, pulling out a book of matches (a/n. not a matchbox, a matchbook, most people know the difference.).

She snapped one of the matchsticks off, closing the book and turning it over to the flint-strip. Slowly, she struck the match, watching it flare to life in her fingers. Oogie watched her curiously, along with the rest of the viewers. Sora was a fair bit away, feet placed firmly of the giant broken pendulum as he reverted to his normal form. Axel let out a hiss at the sight of the flame, and the others began to wonder if he and the black haired chaser had an obsession in common.

"I just touched you with a highly flammable substance, Mister Oogie," Ally laughed, watching the match burn slowly. "And highly explosive." She grinned wickedly, keyblade dropping to disappear on the ground. "Say goodnight, Mister Oogie." Then she flicked the lit match towards the sack of bugs, watching happily as he caught fire. She took a few hurried steps back as he glowed red, the flames licking at his woven body and the bugs tried to flee through his seams. Riku instinctively ducked as the villainous bag exploded and Ally flew back from the blast, burning bugs and cloth flying in all directions to lie in the disturbed snow. Sora jumped behind the fallen pendulum, second closest to the explosion, and escaped the blast.

Ashes settled around them, the burning heat settling down. The battle was over, finally, but the war had only just begun. Sora checked around the side of his metal shield. No Oogie Boogie, but no Ally either. He hopped back up to his earlier perch, scanning the melted snowy landscape eagerly.

"Ash?" he murmured, sensing Riku's presence at his side. He couldn't see her. He turned around, searching the landscape in the other direction for a dark smudge. "Ash!" he shouted. "Where the hell are you, you pyromanic idiot!" He didn't get a reply from the girl. Axel was still stunned from the explosive display.

"'Grats to the kid- she's got some real talent!" he said. Roxas was looking too, eyes scanning the snow behind him for his acquaintance. He, unlike the approaching Sora, knew what made the girl tick.

"ALANA ALYSS ASHLEY!" he shouted, startling the rest of them. "TELL US WHERE YOU ARE, OR SO HELP ME _GOD _I WILL TEAR YOUR BRAINS OUT WHEN WE MEET NEX-"

A hand was raised from behind a small hillock in the snow and Roxas smiled.

"Oh, there she is…" Sora and he ran over to her, crouching at either side of her and examining the damage. She was a little banged up, and black ash was streaked across her face, but that was about it. She coughed once, staring past them, at the sky.

"Strange," she murmured, mystified. Sora chuckled.

"Never seen the stars before, Ash?" she fixed him with a childish look, barely keeping focus.

"Not that, Sora," she said softly. "I'm watching the stars go out…" Roxas grabbed her hand and pulled her up, brushing snow and ashes off her shoulders while Sora stared up at the stars in turn. He watched and saw another star go out as he did. She was right.

"We were too late," he murmured, attracting the girl's attention. She put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze while she shook her head.

"Never too late," she said before turning to Roxas. "I've got a bone to pick with _you_," she said, poking him in the chest. He stumbled backwards as the others joined them. "You said my name." He put up his hands defensively, trying to ward her off nervously.

"C'mon, Ally, give me a break. We didn't know if you were alive from the blast, we needed to find you, it was necessary and I-"

"I'll show you _necessary_, Mister _Roxas_," she growled, pulling him into a headlock and basically choking the poor boy. "Like how it is not _necessary _to make out in the middle of a _battle_! And it isn't necessary to _say my name_,Mister Roxas, as you very well know!" His face was turning blue by this time, but Sora ignored them and stared up at the sky, waiting to see another star wink out. Riku walked up beside him, trying to comfort his friend.

"Doesn't miss much, does she?" Riku asked rhetorically, staring up with Sora to watch the pinpoints of light curiously. Jack joined them quietly, murmuring something about Santa wanting to see them again. Sora just nodded distantly, which didn't go unnoticed by either Riku or Jack.

"It's not over until you give up, Sora," the optimistic skeleton told him. "As long as you're still kicking and screaming, there's every chance you can win." Riku nodded in acknowledgement of the wisdom before adding his own opinion.

"Besides, Sora…" he said. "Long as you got your friends, you aren't alone. And we're with you all the way." Sora looked away from the dismal sight of the stars, eyes scanning his friends blankly, then he smiled a little.

"Guess so," he replied. He sighed. "We better get going, we've got to talk to Santa before we go, then we're going to Radiant Garden- we've got some business to clear up." He nodded to Axel quietly, watching as Ally stopped moving at the words and watched him, still choking Roxas.

"Are we going to get dinner?" she asked blankly, eyeing him curiously. He rolled his eyes, a ghost of a smile on his lips, and nodded. "Oh joy!" she exclaimed, releasing Roxas suddenly and skipping along behind Sora and Riku. She began kicking the silver haired boy's feet again as they walked, watching as Axel headed off towards the gummi ship in the opposite direction. Goofy, Donald and Jack followed them slowly, content to take their time and chatter away. Naminé and Kairi stood quietly, waiting for Roxas to regain his composure.

"Sora's attached himself to her rather quickly," Kairi commented quietly. Naminé giggled.

"Do I hear jealousy?" she joked, watching her other blush slightly and turn to look in the other direction.

"I'm just sayin'…"

Roxas was breathing properly by then, and started walking with them quietly, listening to their conversation.

"I get the feeling he's not telling me something…" Kairi murmured sadly. Roxas and Naminé exchanged a glance, both knowing exactly what was going on with their dark infected friend and trying to keep Kairi within sight of the brunette. "Ever since Disney Castle and the arrow thing. I don't like it."

Roxas and Naminé exchanged another nervous glance before looking at the redhead warily. It was Sora's secret to tell, should he choose to, but he didn't seem to want to talk about it at all. Roxas let out a chuckle when a snippet of Sora, Riku and Ally's conversation drifted back to them.

"…nd when I say '_mush_', Mister Riku, it means you hurry up!"

"Leave him alone, he'll hit you."

"Mister Riku doesn't hit girls, he's supposed to be honourable."

"Do you want me to prove I make exceptions?"

"That's not honourable Mister Riku."

"Well if you say 'mush' one more time, I will kick you so hard you'll wake up in Twilight Town in an hour with Sea Salt Ice cream stuck to your forehead and a lump the size of the Pride Lands."

"…" There was a silence, before they heard Riku grunt after being kicked again.

"I said _MUSH_!!!"

* * *

Laughable, no? 

Uhm… my inspiration for all the flames and the explosions was a song by my favourite band (hands down) Social Code. The song's called 'Bomb Hands', can't you guess what it's about? Possible re-use of said inspiration in future chapters.

_With a match in his hands_  
_He breaks down the tallest buildings  
__He's a bomb  
__And his fuse is always burning  
__Everything he touches always falls to pieces  
__The pain and the rage is his everything_

_I'm tied to your tragedies  
__I'm tired of your miseries  
__Swearing on me_

_Like your bomb hands  
__Like your bomb hands  
__Like your bomb hands  
__Get back, get back_

_In the mirror  
__I see reflections of him laughing  
__I'd get away  
__But I'm handcuffed to his heartbeat  
__Everything he touches always falls to pieces  
__The pain and the rage is his everything_

_I'm tied to your tragedies  
__I'm tired of your miseries  
__Swearing on me_

_Like your bomb hands  
__Like your bomb hands  
__Like your bomb hands  
__Get back, get back_

_Match to the flint, to the fuse, to the fuel  
__From the spark to the clock, as the seconds start to drop  
__Match to the flint, to the fuse, to the fuel  
__From the spark to the clock, as the seconds start to drop_

_Like your bomb hands  
__Like your bomb hands  
__Like your bomb hands  
__Like that, like that_

_Like your bomb hands  
__Like your bomb hands  
__Like your bomb hands  
__Get back, get back_

_Tick tock  
__Tick tock  
__Tick tock  
__Tick tock_

Rofl, I said long chapter- this is the last few lines on page 15 on word. Hahaha.

Cookies to all reviewers.

'Till next time, Duckies….


	9. Kitchen Kid

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing. NOTHING! And that includes 'It Ends Tonight' because that song is owned by someone associated with they who perform the song, 'The All-American Rejects'! Thought I should clear that up.

Sora-Kairi-4-ever: rofl. Uh, since I posted chapter 7 and 8 together I'm replying your review for 7 here. To begin with, should I be afraid of these horrible memories regarding said word? And also, roflmao, yes, 'frivolous' makes up for everything. You might ask where a fourteen year old kid got the word, so I'll tell you this.

I have very weird friends.

All hail the creepy face!!! I blame it for not getting that many reviews. Rofl.

RikuLover211: hehe, story writing is my calling- I'm not a very good song composer, despite my buddies telling me so. They're demeaning I tell you. DEMEANING!!! …uh… I don't know where that came from… but… glad you like my story! (look, I made a creepy face just for you!-) :)

For purposes of a short disclaimer, no one other than ME is in this disclaimer. Maybe next time.

* * *

**Chapter 9 (OH MY GOD! I'VE WRITTEN ****NINE DAMNED CHAPTERS!!!)**

His room was dark. The lights were off and the door was closed, with the air vents clogged up to prevent anything from entering the room, whether it be material or immaterial. The metal walled room never got too warm from his presence though, surrendering itself to his icy existence. It had been like this since Halloween Town. Cold. Dark. Lonely.

He liked it that way.

Kairi had knocked lightly on the door a few hours back, waiting a few minutes in silence before shuffling away down the hall disappointedly, realising she had been refused access. There was every possibility that he was asleep, after all. He'd faced and hours' worth of battle, give or take, in one sitting with only a ten minute break in between. Emotional stress levels were through the roof for a variety of reasons she didn't know, mostly concerning her, and so she'd left him in peace quietly. He was thankful- he had no intention of getting into a row with her that day. He was saving _that_ for later.

Riku had passed before that, actually going as far as opening the door to shed light on Sora's motionless body before assuming him to be asleep and walking off again. Roxas had joined him when he first went to the room, making the adjustments to the air conditioning before leaving after a very short chat. Naminé hadn't even bothered, and he didn't blame her.

Ally was the most interesting. She'd entered casually, ignoring his motionlessness, walked straight up to him and poked him in the ribs, watching with satisfaction as he flinched. She hadn't said a word, just placed her powered-off mp3 on the edge of his bed, patted him on the forehead with a sad smile as he laid back down to feign sleep again, and left him alone, closing the door tightly behind her. She knew that's what he wanted and she respected the wish- he'd talk when he wanted to.

Other than those visits, his time had been rather dull. He liked the blankness and the lack of light. He'd thought about his situation, his recklessness. _'I was foolish to believe I was safe,' _he'd thought several times, his brown fringe falling over one closed eye. _'Nowhere else was safe, so why should the castle have been? The cornerstone? It wards off the Heartless, not the ones who control it…'_ The more he thought over the fact, the simpler he realised it was. In fact, it was so painstakingly simple that he was having a hard time not gouging his eyes out for being so blind.

Why _should _Disney Castle have been any safer than any other world? Was there really even a reason or was it all false belief? False advertising- perhaps what they were fighting was a war that could not be won. Of course, Ally _had _said that being on their side was most beneficiary on her behalf. The question was how.

The question was always 'how'.

In the past it was 'how am I going to find Riku and Kairi? How will I defeat Ansem? How will I prove I'm good enough to be a Keyblade wielder? How will I do this, or that, or make sure that this doesn't go wrong?' So many 'how's, so little time. He'd never reflected on it all before, not really…

In the present, there was so much more. How could he help the King? How could he defeat the chasers, let alone the higher ups? How did the Heartless come under the mysterious 'Vasaar's control? How had Oogie Boogie been granted a third villainous life? How had he become a creature of the dark, lurking in a silent room with no sound except for his own breathing and the extremely faint beating of his heart? _How _was he supposed to win the damned _war_? How was he even supposed to exist on the side of light, when without his soon to be married off Princess his darkness would thrive?

How was he supposed to wield the light… when he couldn't even stand the lamplight anymore…?

He groaned, piercing the silence with his monotonous tones. He smacked himself in the forehead tiredly before scrabbling his fingers beside him, searching for Ally's mp3.

"Now I know why Goofy tries not the think until the last moment," he murmured sloppily, beginning to see the beauty of procrastination. His fingers found the small plastic music player, unfurling the earphones and sticking them in his ears as he held down one of the tiny buttons on the top. A rather sharp blue light lit up the small rectangular screen causing Sora to squint at it for a moment as he let out a slight hiss. It burnt his corneas slightly and he blinked off the pain.

He held down the menu button, going through his options of action before he found the one he was looking for. Folder- Artists. He scrolled through the first few, quickly realising not one of them was a band or singer he'd heard of. He chuckled.

"Let's scout for new talent- is that what she had in mind?"

He exited the menu, pressing play on the random song that the mp3 had last been turned off at. It was piano chords (a/n. it's a combination of notes played at the same time, like on guitar- I'm musically acquainted, so sue me). Not his style, but the screen light had gone off and he was in no hurry to burn his eyes again. He was thankful to fill his head with the music instead of the thoughts- it flowed instead of congested, and it didn't hurt a tick.

_Your subtleties They strangle me _

_I can't explain myself at all_

_And all that wants_

_And all that needs_

_All I don't want to need at all_

Not what he'd generally listen to, but he found the music pretty damned addicting, and it was only the first verse.

_The walls start breathing_

_My minds unweaving_

_Maybe it's best you leave me alone_

_A weight is lifted_

_On this evening_

_I give the final blow._

He was suddenly caught off guard by the memory of his last chat with Jack and Santa. They'd requested his privacy, and he'd not had the heart to refuse at the time- stars were going out as he wasted time, and they couldn't leave until Axel's call for a newer, slower gummi ship with more 'personal space' was acknowledged and the product was delivered. So they kept wasting time.

"**Sora, may we talk with you?" Santa asked the grieving boy quietly and receiving a sad nod in reply. The red-clothed man motioned for an elf to escort his friends to their private quarters for the overnight stay before leading Sora out into the snow with an oddly quiet Jack Skellington at his side.**

"**Sora, we need to discuss this aura you've had since your arrival- since the incidents at the Castle, actually," the skeleton murmured gloomily. Sora nodded, eyes downcast. "I've a sense for the scary and grim after so long with my fellow citizens and we've been sensing-"**

"**My darkness," Sora cut in quietly, eyes watering. "I'm supposed to be saving all these places, and in the time we've spent here another sum of worlds have fallen. I'm failing…"**

"**My dear boy, you're not failing until you give up hope, even in the last moments," Santa huffed loudly, insisting an end to his grimness. He seemed to believe in the same prospect as Jack and Riku- it's not over until you've left the worlds entirely. "What you have become since your first venture cannot be denied- you fought darkness, but to do so you also accepted it. In that time, you've ensured that as many are saved as you can see to, and that's more than most could save. You've nothing to be ashamed of here."**

"**But it's growing, gaining more power than I have. And it makes me want to do things," he argued softly, shivering with a mixture of fear and disgust as he thought of it. "Bad things… things I would never do…"**

"**That's the difference between you and it, Sora," Jack explained sympathetically, eyeing the cheerless boy with a concerned look. "You have the heart not to do those things," he tapped Sora's chest with a bony finger, "one of the strongest. You should be respected for that power and that control, not ashamed of the other side of it. Everyone has a darkness in them, and it sometimes gets out of control- you just have to learn how to satisfy it before things get out of hand."**

**Sora frowned. Back to **_**that **_**again. He was quite aware of what could put a halt to his growing darkness (or more accurately, **_**who**_**), but she was so far off limits that she was almost off world. He couldn't risk her by being with him- not when his mere **_**existence **_**put the girl in danger. He'd never forgive himself if he did.**

"**It's just another obstacle in your life- though I have very little doubt that you've had far too many in your life already," the head elf told him caringly. "While other boys were struggling with their ties for the school formal, you were out saving the world. Twice. You deserved to be rewarded for your effort- not to mention your achievements. This is just another setback."**

"**How is it a **_**setback**_**?" Sora had hissed. "It's a bloody **_**damnation**_**! I've been **_**condemned**_**! How am I supposed to fight like this when if I come even close to losing control, I'll turn into…" he trailed off, shivering at the prospect as the fear diminished the anger. He looked pleadingly at his companions. "How am I supposed to win this war for the king, when I've been as good as sacrificed. The wielders are just pawns in this entire shindig, and we're all set to protect the **_**king**_**!"**

"**It's not a game of chess, Sora." That set the half-hysterical boy three steps over the edge. He laughed, dropping to his knees in the snow, tears beginning to stream down his face, his head hung miserably.**

"**But it is, haven't you noticed? Haven't you seen it all- it's all so damned **_**strategic**_**, both sides moved by two stupid **_**hosts**_**." He took a short breath. "It's all just a stupid game…"**

**Jack and his companion exchanged a worried glance. As the younger boy slumped tiredly, falling into a pit off sleep. Then the skeleton picked him up while Saint Nick spoke to the unconscious boy.**

"**What you have become now, and what you're destined to be…" he paused. "You should only be admired for holding off such a fate for this long when you were to become it from the beginning. Good luck, young Keyblade wielder, you've got a hard road ahead of you…"**

_When darkness turns to light_

_It ends tonight_

_It ends tonight…_

Typically, those lines got him thinking of how wrong it was. Twice before he'd known darkness to turn to light. _Twice. _But it hadn't ended with that, had it? Riku's first regression, at the door to light, had only been the beginning of the next journey. And his second regression in the World That Never Was… well… it hadn't done a thing… Those who never see, never know, he guessed. Darkness and Light… they were really just two sides of the same thing…

_A falling star_

_Least I fall alone_

_I can't explain what you can't explain_

All too true- he couldn't explain what was going on, because, like everyone else, he had absolutely **no freaking idea**! And the only good thing about his darkness taking him was that it was him, not anyone else. Yet, at the same time, he wished it were someone else. But this darkness wouldn't just be the end of him, he knew. He'd take the idiot to infect him with it down with him. They were all doomed.

_You're finding things _

_That you didn't know_

_I look at you with such disdain…_

That got him wondering. Did someone see him finding all these problems, all these connections, and frown upon him with disregard. It was possible. He was, after all, just a pawn in the whole damned _war_. He knew that much, the darkness told him. For such a damned horrible status, it was actually rather helpful and enlightening. It made things look so _bloody _simple. He liked _that _part.

But not the rest.

The twitchiness and alerted ness that kept him awake in case of attack- it wasn't useful when he wasn't in the field. It was just plain annoying. And the hunger for conflict- that didn't go away. He feared it. it made him wonder if he was borderline psychotic- and by the way he was going, if he wasn't insane already, he soon would be.

_The walls start breathing_

_My mind's unweaving_

_Maybe it's best you leave me alone_

_A weight is lifted_

_On this evening_

_I give the final blow_

He was suddenly thankful for the music. At first it drowned out the thinking, the colossal build up of questions and problems. Then it made him think things through slowly and deliberately, avoiding the pain and confusion he'd had without it. it made everything seem to painstakingly simple that he wondered why he didn't bring his own mp3.

Back to the lyrics, his mind _was _unravelling at the seams, and it _was_ best that the others left him alone. Anti-social was good at the time. And a weight being lifted? Yeah, sure, it was happening. He was laying off on the thinking and it made half the ain dissipate. The final blow, though… that wasn't coming any time soon…

_When darkness turns to light_

_It ends tonight_

_It ends tonight_

Maybe it depended on _which _darkness turned to light. Maybe if his darkness… but no, something told him that wasn't happening any time soon…

_Just a little insight- won't make this right_

_It's too late to fight_

_It ends tonight_

_It ends tonight…_

That was spot on- a little insight didn't do _shit_. If a insight actually made things right, the darkness would be repetitively attacking the worlds for ultimate power, the side of Nothing wouldn't be using the darkness and the light to win, and the light wouldn't always be in such damned _peril_ that it needed saving from. Of course, the worlds were so screwed up that nothing short of a whole army of keyblade wielders would stop all the crap from happening.

_Now I'm on my own side_

_It's better than being on your side_

Something to contemplate- would he be better off on his own? The king was using him, that was all too obvious. Then again, the king was using everyone. And he was a mouse. What _was _his life coming to?

_It's my fault when you're blind_

_It's better that I see it through your eyes_

What would it be like to see the whole thing from someone else's point of view? He wondered if anyone else saw it all as a game- strategic moves with sacrifices on both sides ensuing. Trickery and underhanded set ups included. It was all about deception and trying to get the upper hand, a cross between poker and chess. Very nice.

_All these thoughts locked inside_

_Now you're the first to know_

What he would give to be the first to know. All the procrastination on the details was just screwing around with the result. Without the details, he was doomed. He knew.

_When darkness turns to light_

_It ends tonight_

_It ends tonight_

_Just a little insight- won't make this right_

_It's too late to fight_

_It ends tonight_

_It ends tonight_

Screw it. It wasn't anywhere near the end.

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

Ally glanced at the glass pieces quietly. She quirked an eyebrow. To put it simply, Riku was not good at chess. He thought too much. Or too little… Either way it was the same outcome-

She was wiping the floor with him.

Roxas and Naminé had chairs pulled up beside the match, watching silently, easily amused at the time. With a lack of Sora's antics, they were at a loss of things to do on the absurdly long trip from Halloween Town to Hollow Bastion. Kairi was lying on the couch at the side of the large room, staring blankly at the roof. She didn't look like she felt any need to move any time soon. Riku was sitting in a rather comfy armchair, facing Ally (who was in an equally comfy armchair) across the top of the coffee table, her chess set splayed between them.

Three hours before, Ally had challenged Roxas to a game of chess and won within ten moves. This was due to him forfeiting his pieces and opening the path to his king purposely, disappointing Ally sorely. She'd then called upon Riku, who she knew couldn't refuse a challenge. They'd played a game, which she won. Stubborn as ever, Riku had demanded a best two out of three, and lost again. Of course, the boy continued to up the anti, best three out of five, four out of six, so on and so forth… Being a good sport, Ally had let him win one or two before absolutely destroying him.

He was getting angry- but more than that, he was letting it show, and that was unusual. The more he fumed, the more she smiled, and that was what made the game so interesting. Roxas and Naminé, of course, were more interested in their companions' reactions than the game itself. Ally, by this time, was getting rather bored with winning quickly and decided to toy with her opponent casually, chasing him around the board and eliminating his forces one by one until an almost full line of her pieces were against nothing but his king.

Riku was clenching his fists angrily, frustrated by being beaten by a girl at even such a stupid game. Ally was watching him quietly, one eyebrow raised. She let her gaze roam, taking in Kairi's lack of action. She rolled her eyes. She didn't quite understand the fundamentals of any kind of relationship, working or no, but she did understand that the Princess and the Keyblade Master were having a lot of problems.

A _lot _of problems…

They weren't talking much, she'd noticed. The odd chat here and there, a disrupted moment and a lot of blushing, and then they were silent. After the fireworks display back in Halloween Town, Sora had, if anything, shied away from the Princess, preferring to walk with Riku and Ally as the silver haired boy got totally _owned_. They'd barely arrived back at Santa's workshop when it was announced that the travellers were to stay for the night, and Sora was asked for a private talk. She hadn't heard a word since.

"Mister Roxas, I forgot to ask," she started, breaking the silence as she turned back to the chessboard, moving her bishop to join her knight in a sea of Riku's forces. "Who fixed your nose?"

Roxas blushed, glaring at her quietly, attracting Naminé's slight attention. She stared at him in confusion, wondering exactly what had happened to the boy's nose.

"I had to wait for ten minutes after you left until Donald got there," he murmured grudgingly. Ally laughed.

"Magic is a wondrous thing, Mister Roxas. Don't worry, I can't use it either…" she trailed off uncertainly, staring at the roof as she replied to Riku's next move. She wasn't even watching the game.

"You can't?" Naminé asked curiously. Ally fixed her with an incredulous look before smiling slightly and shaking her head.

"Why else would I carry around a book of matches?" she replied rhetorically, turning her attention back to Roxas's accusing stare.

"Why'd you break my nose anyway?" he asked, recalling the event of a random gift flying out of Santa's sack like lightning and smashing into his nose with a force unheard of before. Ally giggled, eyes lighting up with contentment.

"Mister Roxas, you may kill me, but you may never insult me, in the words of a Mister Jack Sparrow," she replied, smiling as someone else added themselves to the conversation.

"_Captain_," Sora corrected, flicking his chocolaty locks out of his eyes. He looked beat, slight shadows around his eyes and a hint of a tired slump in his posture. A wire ran from the earphone in his ear down to his jacket pocket, and his eyes were half closed to avoid the full pain of the lights. He grinned, walking past the small group of people to the kitchen-like part of the room, separated by a counter equipped with drawers and a dishwasher on the in-kitchen side.

"Whatchya talkin' about, Sora?" Roxas asked loudly, watching his other work. Kairi sat up to watch him too. Sora grinned his trademark goofy grin, trying to assure them that he was fine before he replied.

"_Captain_ Jack Sparrow. Not 'Mister'." He thought for a moment, contemplating as he opened the cabinet below him and pulled out a mug. He smiled, a lopsided grin that was a new kind of cute on his behalf before continuing. "Ally, if you're going to use prefixes, use the right ones." Ally nodded.

"Will do. Mister Riku, it's still your move." Sora was looking for something in the kitchen, staring at the open fridge curiously like most people do- knowing there were a lot of things to choose from but not one that he actually _wanted_. He pulled a face as he went through the inventory, his expression showing that this decision was much harder than it looked. He cocked his head to the side.

"Anyone want hot chocolate?" he asked loudly, still staring in the fridge boredly. He pulled out the milk slowly, placing it on the counter boredly before turning back to find the best part of said treat- the chocolate. He pulled out one block quietly, thinking twice before grabbing a second block too, then placed them both on the table too before finding a rather large saucepan and turning on the stove gingerly. He heard Ally accept his offer ecstatically, waiting for another one.

"C'mon. Only one? Riku is normally a hot chocolate fiend, what's going wrong with the worlds?" he asked. Then he frowned. "You know what? Pretend I never asked…" he turned to the large pantry in the wall, opening the door as he felt their eyes turn to him. Riku grunted his version of consent, glaring at the chessboard angrily. Sora glanced at him. "Getting touchy are we?"

Riku turned his glare to the brunette, motioning to the board. Sora nodded understandingly before grinning.

"How much is she beating you by?" he asked. Riku grumbled incoherently while Roxas sniggered.

"Twenty-four to five."

"Ah! I didn't think she'd let him win that much," Sora commented briefly, turning back to the cupboard. "Sure no one else wants hot chocolate? I believe we have marshmallows here somewhere…" He reached into the mess of shelves quickly, shuffling through the contents loudly. "Yep, here they are!" Roxas piped in with a '_sure, ok_' while Sora pulled a bag of tiny marshmallows and a bottle of cinnamon powder. "Righto," he murmured, pouring the whole carton of milk into the saucepan on the stove. He turned and pulled six more mugs out of the cupboard below the counter, placing them with his before he grabbed one block of chocolate and returned to the stove.

He unwrapped the creamy treat, using it to stir the simmering milk and melting it into the liquid as he went. The milk slowly turned a rather appealing soft brown colour, and the intoxicating smell of melted chocolate began to circulate in the room. The block had melted completely when Sora turned to the counter again, grabbing the cinnamon powder quietly. Again, all eyes were on him. He looked up slowly, quirking an eyebrow at all five of his friends who stared at him blankly.

"… What…?" he asked softly, a tone of suspicion in his voice. Riku began to turn back around slowly, catching himself, while Roxas jerked to life and Ally darted a hand out to make her next chess move. Naminé and Kairi, though, continue to stare. After another moment of not getting an answer, he sighed and turned around with a small shrug, dropping a few pinches of cinnamon into the mixture. He heard the door open as a rush of feet led to the counter.

"We… smell… hot… CHOCOLATE!" Donald huffed, heavily breathing from the rush to the common room from the bridge. Goofy walked up beside him happily, clearly taking his time. Sora frowned.

"If Axel's on his way, you better run back to the bridge, Donald," he murmured cruelly, finding a large spoon to stir his concoction with. As if on cue, the flame obsessed redhead walked into the room, sniffing the air with a desiring look on his face. Sora sighed.

"Why?" Donald argued. Sora rolled his eyes, looking at the two pilots sceptically.

"Did either of you put the ship on auto-pilot?" he asked slowly, turning back to the stove quietly. He had every inclination to believe that they didn't, his friend had, after all, been allured by the smell of chocolate. As he thought this he turned back to the counter, dragging his other block of chocolate out of Axel's nearing grasp.

He glanced at the duck and the pyromaniac as they exchanged a look. Before turning tail and running back the way they'd come, their shouts and insults wisping back to the others through the ventilation. Goofy laughed, watching as Sora smiled slightly. Roxas joined in the laughing as he heard his best friend, Axel, shouting rather childish insults at a duck. Naminé smirked and shook her head, her Somebody grinning at the continuos strain of arguments until it faded.

By this time, Sora was pouring the hot chocolate into the seven cups slowly, measuring it out almost perfectly evenly. He tore open the bag of marshmallows, popping a few into each mug and watching as they swirled in the liquid.

"Can you carry three, Goofy?" he asked softly, glancing at his remaining companion. Goofy nodded with his trademark 'hyuck' thrown in for good measure.

"I'll be fine Sora," he replied. "As long as they don't kill each other, I guess." Sora chuckled, pushing three mugs towards the dog for him and his two companions on the bridge. "OR drown in the paperwork…" the dog added comically. Sora gave him a curious look.

"Paperwork?" he asked. "There's… paperwork? For what?"

"The ship, the events at Halloween town, Ally joining our side," Goofy rattled off, counting off on his fingers. "The use of all the explosives that we hafta replace-"

"We never had paperwork before," Sora cut in, getting the point. Goofy looked at him dumbly.

"Well, yeah, Sora- there was. We just never did it- the people at the castle did it for us," he explained. "Put even they're getting caught up- the Symbiant's got everyone on overload." Sora sighed.

"We cause way much more trouble than we're worth," he summed up sadly. Goofy patted him on the head reassuringly, taking up the three mugs.

"Think less- you'll see clearer. This chaos is nothing compared to what it all would be without you." Then he headed out the door, leaving Sora to perfect his procrastination technique. He took up one mug in one hand, warming himself with it while the remaining block of chocolate was half unwrapped in his other hand. He'd decided he was sick of the cold for now, though he knew he'd want it back later. Roxas stood and stole the other three mugs of liquid chocolate before returning to his seat and handing them around to Ally and Riku. Sora sighed before heading over to the couch.

Kairi scooted over without a word, watching as he sat beside her slowly, getting comfortable. She seemed to evaluate him for a moment or two as he sipped his beverage quietly before turning her attention to the chess game as Riku grunted. His brow was furrowed in frustration beneath his silver tresses, and his eyes were full of stubborn fury as Ally made another quick move. Sora sniggered, gaining her attention again as Riku struggled to find a way out of his predicament.

She turned to the brunette knight questioningly, catching his gaze. He smiled and laughed again, taking a moment to explain Riku's dilemma. He summed it up in one word.

"Checkmate."

* * *

Not real interesting, I know, but I needed a filler. And I sorta just wrote it as I went, but that's basically how the whole story writing gig is for me, so meh.

Again, if you want me to clear something up, just ask. If you want something particular to happen, tell me and I might find a way for it.

'Till next time duckies, and cookies to all reviewers!


	10. A Burning Sensation

Disclaimer: I don't own my socks- my mum bought them…

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Ohkay, review replying.

Sora-Kairi-4-ever: the song is 'It Ends Tonight' by the All-American Rejects. The mush thing always works- I kick my friends to classes saying it. Not that I like classes. But we have REALLY mean teachers who don't like it when we're late. And we're always late anyway, so it's better not to be REALLY late, y'know? I told you, chapter eight was fifteen pages long, but I had to finish up on Halloween Town, sadly, and I write a lot so this is another filler chapter, enjoy. I'll start on the next one in an hour, I'm looking for pictures of the lead mutant from 'I Am Legend' because we named him. It's a long story…

RikuLover211- have you seen 'I Am Legend'?

Okay, sorry, I'm obsessed with the generic evil guy from the movie. It was a good movie, so I have every right. So there! HA!

* * *

**Chapter 10 (look, I'm on my second multiple of FIVE!)**

Roxas was laughing too, now. It was kind of hard not to. The look on Riku's face was one of a kind, absolutely priceless. He never normally showed any kind of emotion, and figuring out what he was feeling came with years and years of practise, but right then, losing his twenty-fifth chess match to a girl he was most certainly and infuriatingly attracted to, he was showing a form of emotion. It was hilarious, because it was an emotion that had been least expected of the normally calm teenager.

He was _pissed_.

He glared at the board and then at Ally repetitively, not sure which thing he hated more at the time. He settled on Ally, hating that she beat him and hating that she made it impossible for him to hold it against her. She smiled sweetly, which pissed him off more because it made him feel _elated_, before she began to advert the focus from his performance.

"Perhaps you should retire, Mister Riku," she advised softly. He glared at her, sweeping his pieces back in place as he grunted at the comment. She met his gaze with her own and raised an eyebrow. "If you insist, sir," she murmured, placing her pieces back on their alternate squares. He replied with a 'hn' and moved his first piece as she rolled her eyes.

Over on the couch, Sora was leaning forward and snacking away on his bar of chocolate with his hot chocolate in his other hand. Kairi giggled at Riku's aggressive behaviour and the brunette turned to her questioningly. She smiled slightly as they locked eyes and moved closer to whisper in his ear.

"Those two are totally made for each other," she commented. He grinned, nodding slightly as he snapped another pieces of chocolate off the block with his teeth. He swallowed it, surveying the scene.

"I think we're in trouble, Kai," he murmured back after a moment or two. She looked at him inquiringly. "The two of us stuck alone while everyone else is off playing happy and stubborn couples. We're doomed." She giggled again, praying that she didn't blush at the mention of being left with only each other while the others gallivanted. He grinned, happy to be having a fair enough conversation with her that had absolutely nothing to do with either of their feelings, insecurities, or weaknesses. _Those _conversations were awkward, if nothing else.

Sora had no intention of going there. Ever. Of course, he would have to eventually, anyone could figure that out. What Sora could _not _figure out, was exactly how he felt towards the girl at the time. She still left him with the same fluttery feeling in his heart every time, almost, but he found himself unable to look past the pain that she caused him, both emotional and physical. He'd occasionally found burn marks from her touch, hidden beneath his sleeves. His memories of her weren't always as such, either. He was fine when they were best friends and they had plenty of calm, comfortable and happy moments. But after his first venture, they hadn't had a single moment that wasn't tainted with something else. It was a sense of awkwardness that fit on so many levels that it was more than a little funny.

She was a Princess, he was a keyblade wielder. Now, sure, that had started off as something of a higher class, but being a keyblade wielder had about the same individuality and importance as a kid with a stick. He was just a regular guy with a weapon; there was no big deal there. Royalty didn't go with soldiers- the world just didn't work that way. He consented to accept that- the difference in ranking gave birth to the awkwardness, and things couldn't be the same as when they were fourteen.

And then the promises he'd made her when they reunited, even before then. Sure, they were sometimes cheesy lines and things to say, but the pointless banter had turned into something more meaningful, and the promises had inspired a relationship between them that neither of them were quite ready to acknowledge. They were nearing sixteen now, who were they to know the subtle-but-significant differences between best friends and the next level?

Of course, then it had happened. The time apart had inspired a desire to fulfil said promises and stay together. It was the desire and the need that lit the flames of his attraction to her (and, unknown to Sora, her attraction to him). And that attraction was something that the young warrior knew nothing about. He had no idea what to do about his raging hormones- albeit, his romantic social skills had never really been dusted off because he missed the first year or so of acting on said feelings. Because of that uncertainty, he always contemplated it, and that inspired yet _more _awkwardness.

And then the darkness was awakened in him…

He looked up slowly to Ally. Never had he thought that his romantic issues would lead him to _that _revelation. The violet-eyed girl knew, he figured that out too. But telling the truth straight out would put him in denial. She was smart- it was another thing he had to figure out on his own, and she knew that. Otherwise he wouldn't accept it-

The darkness was his.

It wasn't a disease or infection, it was in his blood. He wasn't in between because he was nothing, he was in between because he was he was both. He was of the light, but also of the darkness. Of course he'd sway eventually.

As if feeling his eyes, Ally looked up, connecting eyes with his. She cocked her head to the smile, nodded slightly as she assessed the situation, took his small smile as a 'I think we need to have a chat later', and turned back to her twenty-sixth win over Riku with a loud 'hurrah' as Riku set up the pieces again. Meanwhile, Sora went to take another sip of his hot chocolate before he realised he no longer had it. Kairi had stolen it from his hands.

He turned to her and raised an eyebrow as she sipped his drink innocently, eyes on him. She stared back quietly.

"That's mine, y'know," he said loudly, attracting the other four's attention, they turned to watch as Kairi smiled mischievously, continuing to down the warm liquid. Riku piped in, glad to have a distraction from his inevitable twenty-seventh defeat.

"You know Kairi, technically," he tapped the side of his chin thoughtfully as he spoke, turning back to the chessboard and making another move. "You just made out with Sora." She seemed to choke on the drink, a red flush tinging her face as she raised her eyebrows at the silver haired boy.

"_What_?" she asked loudly. Naminé giggled at the reaction, while Roxas and Sora laughed together and Ally watched quietly, uncomprehending. She seemed to get the general implication, though, because she sniggered quietly before responding indifferently to Riku's move. Riku nodded at the redhead simply, a slight smile on his lips.

"Yep. See, he drank that before you, so you guys just swapped spit," he explained. He spread his hands. "Thus- you made out." He frowned and looked pointedly at Roxas. "Just way more subtly than two certain someones we know and in a much safer environment." Roxas was blushing noticeably, Naminé joining him in the act. Sora chuckled softly before standing up slowly and heading to the door with his block of chocolate in hand.

"Hey, where you going?" Kairi demanded. He stopped, reminded of something. Tearing the earphone out of his ear, he pulled the mp3 out of his pocket and turned it off before throwing it to Ally.

"Thanks for that, Ally," he murmured. "Helps with the perfection of procrastination." He added at a second thought as a note to Riku, "if you really want to keep a sense of dignified chess playing, you'd stop playing and come see how much longer until we're at Radiant Gardens with me. You'll just get crushed otherwise." Riku glared at him, refusing to let up. Sora shrugged, turning back to the door as he realised that Kairi was going with him.

They door closed behind them and he nibbled again at his block of creamy sugar treat. The two of them walked in silence for a time, striding through the cool corridors quietly. She was waiting for him to say something, he could tell.

"Are you… happy with this arrangement?" he asked uncertainly, causing her to turn to him. She shot him a questioning glance.

"What arrangement?"

Sora stopped with a pained expression and stopped with his back on the metal wall. She stood in front of him and surveyed him quietly.

"You _know _what I'm talking about, Kairi…" he whispered sadly, gaze slipping down to the floor. She stared at him quietly.

"Please don't bring this up again," she pleaded tiredly, making to walk away from him toward the bridge. He grabbed her hand, his eyes still directed at the floor.

"Kai… it's going to come up sooner or later. And we're kidding ourselves if we think it's gonna be later, and you know it too," he argued softly. "We need to talk about this."

"But I don't _want _to!" she retorted, turning to look at him. She removed her hand from his, placing it on his arm and her other on his chest as she forced him to stay pressed against the wall. "What I _want _to do is act like it's not going to happen, just for now. I _want _you to treat me like you did _before _the stupid clause came into play. I want to taste what it would be like if I could stay with you guys for this whole stupid adventure while I can, because I-"

"You never told me that," he cut her off, raising his eyes to meet hers, his arm burning beneath her palm. Her eyes were full of sadness at the mention of her cruel fate. Funny- Sora actually found her fate more disturbing than his…

"What, that you weren't acting the same?" she asked sarcastically, face inches from his with fury splayed across her features. "I thought you knew." She ignored the glimmer of fear in his eyes, passing it off as something else. But it wasn't- he was terrified. Absolutely and fully terrified for a variety of reasons.

One- Kairi was angry. That was not good. _Really _not good. When Kairi was this furious there was an eighty-seven percent chance of total destruction. Two- he'd _made _her that mad, and that was a scary prospect in itself. He'd destroyed her natural calm, and after the fury there'd be something like sadness. He couldn't stand making the girl mad. Three- he was normally terrified just when she was in the same room as him, but with her face only centimetres away from his, he was almost paralysed. Four (and yes, this goes on to five)- she clearly didn't realise that her anger had ignited her natural light to an alarming rate that was still rising, and his arm and chest were smoking under her fingers. Worse still, she didn't seem to notice the smoke. And five- she'd just told him she wasn't going to stay.

If she wasn't there to shed light on his darkness and reduce it to shadows, it would grow and take control of him, bad news for the worlds. But not just that- a life without Kairi just wouldn't be right. Not anymore. Like he'd said, everyone else was going into couplesville and Donald and Goofy, although some of his best friends, couldn't always be quite who he wanted to be with.

"Why didn't you tell me you weren't going to stay?" he whispered weakly, no longer holding even the slightest bold tone in his voice. He tried to refrain from whimpering as he felt her scalding his skin. "I never knew…" He slumped, feeling a tendril of anger work back into his mind. "So what, you were just going to leave me waiting, thinking you'd come for the damned departure when you weren't even going to turn up. Bet you would've loved that, like I wouldn't have wanted to know. What, you think I don't care now?"

"All evidence points to it," she replied, matching his spiteful tone. He shook his head.

"Then you're just as freaking blind as me," he told her. "Thinking I was so damned safe. And now I'm condemned because of it, because I have some _stupid _darkness that even Riku's lacking. You should be happy- when the show starts, you won't be around to see it. The king's stupid pawn turning into the opposition because you didn't want to stick around."

He wasn't even shouting anymore, not struggling as he burned beneath her fingers and she tried to figure out what he meant. Her eyes were filling with water, he realised, but exactly why that was, he couldn't even be bothered to guess.

"It's not that I _want_ to leave, Sora," she murmured, her anger spluttering out as she tried to stifle the tears. Her hands were still pressing him forcefully against the walls and she didn't seem to let up, but the burning sensation simmered down. He knew his skin had already blistered from the heat, but he wasn't about to say a thing, still ignoring the smoke that seemed to stream continuously beneath her hands. "But Fernandez… wants me… not to be with…" She stopped, sobbing quietly, every second making him feel all the worse for bringing the subject up. He brought his free arm up, wiping away the tears finally falling down her cheeks.

"Not to be with…?" he encouraged softly, thinking of ways to destroy her mentioned fiancé even as he spoke.

"With you," she managed, so quietly he barely heard the words. His eyes widened. Now he _really _needed to speak with Ally. Not wanting a wife in the midst of battle- that was a concept he could understand. But not with the keyblade master? There were two possible scenarios.

First off, this 'Fernandez' guy (who he hadn't even heard of, let alone met before) might have felt threatened by the Princess's knight. Like he would try something romantic with a married girl. A rather appealing, long time friend-turned-something-more, girl his age that he was quite clearly attracted to, but married non-the-less. Yeah right- he couldn't even do that when she wasn't married. What was there to fear? If anything romantic were to happen, it would be a spur of the moment, 'I'm-about-to-die-and-want-you-to-know-I've-always-liked-you' kind of thing. You know- one time only, if I'm not dead we forget about it.

So no, choice one was rather illogical.

Choice two made sense. Sora was generally not a conspiracy theorist. He was open minded- yes, there was no denying that. Of course he was open minded- he hung around with a duck and a dog that both talked, one of which could teach you magic and the other which didn't like weapons. He flew around in a spaceship, took orders from a mouse that was king of all the worlds and attacked things with a _key_. Saying he was open minded was an understatement.

But the thing was, Sora was normally _not _a conspiracy theorist, when all of a sudden, he saw conspiracy everywhere. It was a new high for him, and he was only just getting used to it, but he could clearly see what was going on. As clear as it is to look through a misted glass window with gladwrap over your glasses. Still, he could see the outline-

Step one- awaken the darkness in the subject.

Step two- make the subject angry by marrying off his princess, weakening him for the darkness.

Step three- make sure the subject is kept away from his princess so he doesn't have a light.

Step four- total domination of subject by darkness.

Four amazingly simple steps, and the sad thing was, it was working. He sighed, wincing as he felt his chest sting under his princess's fingers. Wait…

When had she become _his _princess?

Amazing how his thinking progressed these days- relationships to darkness, then to Kairi's marriage, to said girl being angry, back to her marriage, to mass conspiracy, and then back to his relationship with the princess again. Are we seeing a pattern here? Every second thought (at _least_) was about the Princess. He didn't claim ownership over her, he never had and never would, even if he _had _wound up telling her he wanted to be with her. He didn't claim ownership at all- he just wasn't ready to let her go.

She released her grip on his arm, sobbing quietly before he pulled her towards him, holding her in his arms quietly and waiting for her to stop crying. She buried her head into his chest, her hands now both pressing on his recent burn. He rubbed her back gently, feeling his shirt soaking in her tears beneath his open jacket. He checked his arm over her shoulder, whimpering painfully as he saw the blisters and blood from the split skin. Kairi tried to step back, but her refused to let go of her as she wiped her tears away, calming down. She looked at him with a soft gaze, her energy spent.

"What a stupid question," she commented tiredly, giggling at the end of it. "Of course I'm not _happy _with the stinking arrangement." Sora smiled sadly and kissed her lightly on the forehead, causing her to blush slightly before embracing him in a friendly hug again. She sniffed. "You still have to teach me to fight," she told him softly, one hand around his waist and the other tracing pictures on his arm.

"Why?" he asked incredulously. "If you aren't coming, why learn to fight?" He couldn't help but smile at her response.

"If you won't scare off my suitors for me, I'm driving this guy to a divorce."

ÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅ

"Dude, what the _hell _happened to _you_?"

Sora looked up from the washing machine as he chucked his shirt in with Donald's third hat of the week and a few other items of clothing. As such, he currently didn't have a shirt on and was about to inspect the burn on his chest when his nobody walked into the room.

"I pissed off Kairi?" he asked in a stated form. Roxas laughed.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn," he replied jokingly, watching as the brunette started to the door, intending to find some disinfectant in the bathroom cabinet. Of course, that meant trawling to the other side of the damned ship shirtless, but he wasn't quite self-conscious about a thing except perhaps the circular burn on his chest. Apparently Kairi was back in the common room talking with Naminé too, so there was no problem with her seeing exactly what she'd done.

"So I've heard," Sora responded slowly, feet touching the cold metal floor. "Of course, unless you'd experienced hell, you wouldn't know." Roxas laughed again, following his counterpart through the hall.

"So, what happened, anyway?" Roxas asked, ruffling his blonde hair as he followed the brunette knight. "Thought over the situation yet? Though I doubt there's much to think over, how far are we with the details here…?" Sora grunted.

"Not much to think over, my ass. I got a freaking migraine from thinking over it."

"Yes, but still. Where are we along the theory train?" the blonde continued, passing off the sarcastic remark.

"Well, I have some things to discuss with Ally, but I know that I'm a future anti-protag, there's a metaphorical game of chess going on here, and Kairi's marriage is part of a mass conspiracy, but that's about as far as I got before I started letting off smoke."

"You hit something?"

"No, Kairi pretty much set me on fire."

"Is that a literal sense?"

"Do these _not _look like sixty-degree burns to you?"

"Touchy to the point of exaggeration."

"Pretty much." They were silent for a moment, the only sound being their shoes making clanging noises on the floor. Then Sora asked an extremely interesting question. "Are Riku and Ally still playing?" Roxas looked at him curiously before bursting out laughing.

"For a girl who knows nothing about love, she's definitely got one hell of an artillery for the other side of the line," he explained. "They've come to the point of verbal harassment now, he refuses to give up and started hassling her when she said she wanted to go get a drink. Apparently it would declare him the winner, and she rolled her eyes and sat back down saying 'we're up to thirty-seven here, I don't think you're going to win, Mister Riku.'"

"What did he say to that?"

"He chose to ignore it," the subjected girl replied, walking into view with Riku in stride. "And I decided that if he wanted to play chess anymore, he could play against himself and improve his game. He chose to ignore that too." Sora chuckled, eyeing his silver-haired friend quietly.

"That's our Riku…" he commented briefly setting off towards the bathroom again as he realised he'd stopped. "Kairi's still in the common room, right?" he asked.

"N-n-n-yes," Ally replied confusingly, catching the brunette's eyes.

"And that means?"

"I don't know. I think she said something about going to talk to Donald about smoke or something…" The girl then looked to Sora curiously, examining his wounds in a glance. "It would have something to do with your condition. You had an argument."

Sora stared at her incredulously. It was strange that she made such an assumption in only a glance. She smiled.

"And that discussion we need to have can wait until you'll-know-when-it-happens," she added, knowing he got the meaning of the sentence. She'd tell him about his darkness when something in particular happened. He could only assume that 'it' was something he wouldn't like. "But in the meantime, try not to piss the Princess off- she'll burn you, and Fernandez will get exactly what he wants." Finally, a topic he knew she'd say _something _about. Riku watched blankly while Roxas waved and slipped away down the hall in the opposite direction.

"What do you know about Lucius Fernandez, Ally?" Sora asked as he opened the bathroom door. Ally and Riku stopped at the doorway, watching as he searched the mirrored cabinet for the antiseptic. She shot him a reproachful look before she answer.

"I know I don't approve of his maker, you could say I know him personally, and though he has a personality and lacks the looks of darkness, he's a heartless bastard. Also, he's weak and can't fight for himself, which is why he's going for the Princess's throne," she shot off quickly, ticking off the things on a list.

"He's a heartless?"

"Sora, I said he _is _heartless. There's a difference."

"And he's using Kairi?"

"In a sense, yes. How far he may go with this at Miss Kairi's expense is a mystery. He hasn't married before for power, I don't think… She's doomed if he wants an heir from it."

"Well, that's an image I don't need. And the king didn't take these things into account when he chose the damned _suitor_?" he asked, a tendril of fury slipping into his voice as he poured a little antiseptic onto a towelette he found in the cabinet and dabbing it on his chest and his arm tentatively. It prickled and stung, but he'd had worse.

"What the king's doing with you all is way beyond me- he's being brave and reckless, but he's against an idiot, so I have no idea who's worse off," she explained, referring again to her simulation from their first private discussion. Sora nodded, heading back out the door.

"And the rest I have to figure out myself," he stated in a questioning manner.

"Yeah, pre-e-e-etty much," she said. "Like with the marriage clause. You're rather blindly going through this, but being the fool you are, you'll win this mini game eventually."

"Minigame?" he asked, fully getting the 'fool' part.

"Ever played Mario Party, Sora?"

"Nope."

"Be glad you haven't," she sighed. Mario Party was _way _overrated. "Well, it's a game within a game. It only goes for a tiny part of the proper game, and it gets one player or another ahead by a little. I guarantee, you'll win… or tie… But still- better than losing!"

Sora laughed and Riku rolled his eyes before they hit the main corridor that ran from the bridge of the ship down to the other end, breaking off into other halls as it went. Ally and Riku murmured a goodbye and disappeared back to the common room, resuming their insults and foul play. Sora shook his head and smiled, heading back to his room quietly. There were loud footsteps as a slight warning before Kairi was beside him again, hands behind her back as she watched him walk.

"Whatchya doin'?" she asked playfully, not even acting as though they'd fought before. He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm walking," he answered matter-of-factly, watching as she cocked her head in his direction, his eyebrow still raised.

"Really?"

"Really. I am." She pursed her lips, eyes running over his burns. "Walking. You should try it some time. Much better than it sounds, I guarantee you."

"Did I do that to you?" she asked softly, indicating to his blistered skin. He frowned, not even bothering to pretend otherwise.

"If I said no, you'd hit me, wouldn't you," he stated in a questioning manner. She nodded. "Then I'm not saying a thing. I'll heal it in a minute," he added simply, receiving a frown in reply. He raised his eyebrow again, murmuring a heal spell that lit up his chest and arm with a green light. "You wanted something?"

She smiled, proving to him that she either ignored the rant about his darkness earlier or forgot about it (either way, he was thankful). "What gave you that impression?"

"Oh, I don't know… the running to meet me, the ecstatically warm behaviour…" He stopped, turning to face her, raising an eyebrow again. "Should I continue, or can I stop there?" Kairi smiled, watching him quietly. She blushed as her eyes roamed over his tanned chest, noting his well-toned muscles among other things. Her childhood friend couldn't have stayed a kid forever, she had to remind herself. But that didn't stop her from flushing at his gorgeous physique. He was an eye-catching, dashing young man, and she was doomed to marry a stupid twenty-five year old Duke. Fairy tales weren't reality- she'd never get her knight in shining armour.

Or, really, her currently extremely _hot _knight without any armour on his upper half.

Well, that wasn't happening any time soon. Said brunette knight clicked his fingers in front of her eyes a few time, attracting her attention away from his abs with a slight pink tinge to his cheeks. She blushed profusely, looking up and catching his eyes. He raised his eyebrow again, almost as bad of a habit as rolling his eyes. She turned and started walking down the hall again and he followed her after rolling his eyes.

"So, what did you want?" he asked, ignoring the abrupt awkward moment.

"Sora, you were away too long, maybe I'm just on sugar high," she replied loudly, skipping along the hall as if to prove the point. She stopped and turned to him, clasping her hands in front of her nervously. "Well, we're getting to the place formerly known as Hollow Bastion in about half an hour. But I was thinking about what I said before," at which point Sora slapped himself in the face, dragging on his skin for a moment before she continued, "and I decided I want you to teach me magic, but I want Ally to teach me to fight."

"You'll have to ask her."

"Yes I will, but I asked _you _to teach me magic," she responded happily. She followed him into his room, watching as he turned away from her and knelt beside the bed, dragging the middle small draw out and pulling a grey tank top out before standing up and pulling it on over his head, to Kairi's great disappointment. He tore her eyes away from his toned back as it was covered with the grey clothing before he turned back to her quickly, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Why ask me instead of Donald?"

Kairi frowned. "Think back, Sora. I told you- Fernandez doesn't want me to be with you, so I'm triple purposing here."

"Triple? Not dual? All hail the beauty of multi-tasking," he commented briefly, setting out to the laundry again, amazed that twenty minutes had passed already. The laundry room was across the hallway, and he pulled his washed shirt out of the washing machine before stuffing it into the drier, then setting off to the common room again, Kairi by his side. "Might I ask exactly what your three purposes may be?"

"We-e-e-e-ell… I want to learn magic, obviously."

"Set your boyfriend on fire," Sora joked simply as they reached the common room, the doors opening before them. Ally and Riku were having an intent staring contest from their respective chairs across the coffee table, and Roxas and Naminé were nowhere to be seen, apparently off at the bridge or something of the type. Sora and Kairi went and sat on the couch, watching the other two glare at each other with some hilarity. "It'll make my day," he continued to the redhead, making her giggle girlishly at the image.

"Delightful," she replied. "Okay, number two, I want to spend more time with you before you leave me with this ten-or-something-years-older than me guy, which, I insist on telling you, if anything happens and he hurts me after you've left is entirely your fault for not getting me out of this stupid marriage." Sora rolled his eyes.

"You can't blame me, I yelled at the king for you… of course… he's a mouse," he contemplated the situation for a moment. "But a very intimidating one. But this guy does a thing, you tell me and I'll duct tape him to a chair… and set him on fire."

"Do you have an obsession with setting people on fire, now?" she asked him. Then she scoffed. "You've been hanging around Axel too much, haven't you?" He shook his head and pointed at Ally.

"The fireworks show at Halloween Town set me off, I guess. And I only set fire to your suitors. And your fiancé. But that's because I don't like your fiancé, and that's because I'm returning the favour to the judgemental bastard whom I haven't even met," he frowned. "Come to think of it, have you met him?" She rolled her eyes in reply, but smiled at the reassurance of him not liking her fiancé.

"And the third reason is, he doesn't want me to be around you."

"So you're going to do it anyway?"

"I told you, I'm gonna make him get a divorce."

"You can't get a divorce from a forced marriage," Ally told them, not looking away from the silver haired boy even for a moment. She snorted. "None of you are familiar with the marriage clause at all, are you?"

"We know the particulars," Sora defended boredly.

"Yeah, that there's a _marriage _involved. In the _marriage _clause," she pointed out sarcastically. "Surprise, surprise, I never would have guessed." She was clearly struggling not to roll her eyes. "However, I fully approve of pissing Fernandez off. But you still can't get a divorce."

"Then I'll murder him!" Kairi replied exasperatedly. Ally giggled and Sora laughed before the black haired girl responded again.

"Not likely- you'd wind up in jail despite being a princess. Or his master'll personally commit revenge and give him back his life."

"How?"

"Bag of bugs did it… Again. And Mister Maleficent. Why shouldn't anyone else be able to?" she asked rhetorically, smiling as Riku's brow furrowed angrily (they'd been staring for ten minutes, forgive him for being angry at her not giving in).

"Uh, Ally?" Sora began confusedly. "Maleficent's a woman…"

Ally's brow furrowed in thought and she raised an eyebrow, catching Sora's habit rather quickly.

"…Really? Could've fooled me…"

* * *

I was going to start Hollow Bastion in this chapter, but I'm on page twelve on word and I never thought I wrote so much. As such, I'm starting the next chapter in said world. This chapter was full of some very important stuff. Very important, I tell you! Important being the question of Maleficent's gender (well you could've fooled me too, she looks like a feminine MAN!!!). And I needed closure on the subject of Kairi's marriage and they guy she's getting married to (which I think I've summed up quite well).

Uh, quite clearly, Ally knows _way _more than she's letting on, and everyone else is just appearing ignorant. But that happens, because Ally is my character and thus gets to state the obvious (look, I just did then.).

I'll let you in on something- there's a battle in the marriage scene. Predictable, I know. But that's a few chapter away, and it's not a typical "You-just-ruined-my-wedding-but-showed-me-how-much-you-really-love-me-and-we'll-get-together-now' kinda ending to the chapter. No. I don't let up that easily. I like writing the awkwardness, it's a lot more like reality for me, so it's easy.

On another note, I've had a couple of kick ass new reviewers. I owe you hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it and a tad of cinnamon. And cookies. Lots and lots of cookies.

'Till next time duckies!


	11. Tastes Like Grey

If you haven't been tested you probably will

And I promise it's going to kill

-"The Test", The Classic Crime.

* * *

If I have any readers that are really good artists- can someone draw Ally for me? I'm stuck with the visualisation here, but her description is mainly in the (Third?) chapter. Uh, also, if you like Panic! At The Disco and FOB and one other band that I remembered at the time two days ago but can't remember now, you should listen to 'the classic crime'. They're a kick-ass band! uh... but then you'd have to listen to their songs 'the coldest heart' and 'the fight' because 'the test' (and yes, I notice that's a lot of 'the' s) is from their album 'Acoustic Sessions' which is an EP after a full album (wtf?).

**Sora-Kairi-4-ever: lol. Have fun with your hot chocolate and cookies, I'm sticking to my pocky. Because, yes, you can find pocky in Australia. In regular everyday supermarkets, what's more! I dyed my hair red yesterday, I don't know why. My sister said something, so meh. Uh, also, I do agree, Maleficent is a very masculine (not to mention ugly) character. So HA. Fernandez, lol. I have an obsession with all things Spanish-like and I wish I could speak Spanish, but I struggle with English and I've lived in _Australia_ my _entire life_ so heh, that's not happening any time soon...**

Look, I'm bored and reviews make me happy. Not fang-happy, just to clear it up. Regular, 'roller-coasters-are-fun' happy. What can I say, I'm a Thrill ride fiend.

Disclaimer: nope. Still don't own my socks…

* * *

**Chapter 11 (woah, I've hit double digits…)**

Radiant Gardens was different. Generally, it was the same as before, but exiting the Gummi ship, Sora's eyes picked up a shade of grey washed over the world. His newfound senses were tingling from the second his boots touched the stone pavement. Ally appeared at his side, her face solemn.

"The strike has yet to come, but this foreboding seems infectious," she murmured darkly, eyes scanning the empty street. Shadows were slipping by behind window panes, curtains ruffling as inhabitants of the houses peeked out at the intruders, curious and afraid. "What can you smell here, Sora?"

He glanced at her inquiringly, sad blue eyes examining her bright violet ones quietly. She rolled her eyes and shook her head before checking to see that no one else was near enough to hear her brief explanation.

"Your other half is animalistic, Sora," she told him. "What scent did you pick up when you began to turn in Christmas Town?"

"Yours. It was a funny mixture, too," he commented. She cocked her head.

"Really? What mixture? I sense feelings instead of smells, but hey, what did you taste around me?"

He laughed, noting that she seemed to understand. When he picked up a scent, it varied between his sense of smell and taste. The two things complimented each other, giving an overall analysis of the being- if it was a good taste, they were likeable and generally _not _opposing. As such, a bad taste was probably a totally hard to get along with, opposing and not liked person who he really wouldn't like.

"Fairy floss, cola, and salt and vinegar chips," he said, then he sniffed. "Bubblegum, too. You're an odd assortment of flavours, Ally." She smiled softly.

"Wouldn't be the same if I weren't. But the fact that you aren't a demonic twilight vampire doesn't mean you can't act like one. You can still use your other half's traits if you want to without a single problem. That's why Aros can look like you if he wants to."

"Aros?"

"It's 'Sora' backwards. He's your opposite. This all comes down to your quarters, Mister Sora," she announced loudly.

"Prefix," he reminded her pointedly, beginning to walk down the street with her beside him as they fooled around and the others followed. "What do you mean by 'quarters'?" he asked her, lowering his voice so the conversation wouldn't carry too far.

"Well, it's quarters when Mister Roxas is included. He shouldn't be, though, because he's just an incomplete copy of you, really."

"Incomplete? I thought he was whole now?"

"I never said he wasn't. He's currently a complete human, but he's still an incomplete copy of you," she explained softly. He shot her a doubtful look and she rolled her eyes. "Look, he's his own person, with his own traits and yada yada yada… but he was created from you, so there's a lot of parts of you in his programming."

"Programming?"

"Hello? Hung around with a computer geek for sixteen years here," she retorted sharply, earning a small chuckle of acknowledgement from the brunette. She smiled slightly, following as he turned another corner. "So you could say you're the prototype and he was defective. He inherited some of your stuff-" she raised an eyebrow. He laughed at her next commented. "For the record- I like you better."

"That wouldn't be you trying to get on my good side before I turn into a blood-hungry, psychotic murderer, would it?" he asked comically. She grinned and shook her head.

"Trust me, you'll _want _to kill me if I don't drop the bombshell soon," she reassured him, clearly humoured. "But anyway, Roxas is you, defective."

"Which means he's lacking. What's he compensating for?"

"Your brown hair, a-duh. Strikingly likeable personality, straight off the mark. All your friends… the inability to show his feelings to his beloved," she finished, quirking an eyebrow as she clasped her hands behind her back, twiddling her fingers. "And your other pieces."

"What 'other pieces'?" he queried suspiciously. She shrugged.

"We could rule you as an elite sufferer of multiple personality disorder, Sora," she commented. "It's not far off."

"So, who are these other '_pieces_' of me?" he asked curiously.

"Well, there's Aros- basically Anti-Sora," she explained simply. "And then there's Saor, who's kind of… in the middle."

"Saor? The literal embodiment of shades of grey? I want to meet this guy…"

"And open a serious can of ass-whooping on Aros? Don't worry, I would too. But there's very few places you could, and they're all accessible only in certain situations," Ally said lethargically. "You're more than a little lost if you expect otherwise."

"I don't."

"And you realise that destroying them destroys you, right?"

"Go figure."

"Righto," she exclaimed, acknowledging the acknowledgement. "Well, there's your mind, obviously. But sinking far enough into your own head takes practice or particularly cruel situations where your heart drags your consciousness far enough away from reality to escape the pain. On the other hand, you'd probably separate in particular places."

"Like?" he questioned eagerly. She winced.

"_Please _Sora, you have to understand… Aros is a cruel and vicious counterpart- he'll make you weak and self-destructive and take you over before you can finish yourself off. Don't rush into it just to face him, Saor won't save your hide…" She twiddled her fingers and let her head droop considerably as they spoke of the saddening prospect.

"I get it, Ally," he assured her. She shook her head.

"No, you don't. Think of the worst possible thing you could do to the person you care for most," she told him. "Then times it by twelve. There you've got a near idea of what Aros will do. But only _near_." She waited a moment before she saw him shudder from the corner of her eye before nodding. "Space Paranoids separates defined parts."

"If the darkness they're born off has always been mine, why hasn't it happened before?" he asked bluntly.

"They only woke recently, you forget?" She frowned. "There's one other that I know of. Just one. It resides in the seas sailed by Captain Jack Sparrow. You _might _like to visit him sometime soon…"

"What're you two talking about?"

Sora spun around to see Kairi and Riku only a few metres behind them, watching the knight and the chaser curiously. Kairi held his gaze for a long moment as if saying 'the ride here may've ended, but that doesn't mean the openness does too' before she frowned slightly. Riku just nodded, somehow understanding the general outline of his conversations with the ex-chaser girl. He had to appreciate his best friend's level-headedness and understanding on this topic. Sora turned to Ally, in need of help on what to say in reply to Kairi's deathly 'if you don't tell me you're in for it' tone. The black haired girl just put her finger to her lips and turned on her heel to start walking again, Riku on her heels. Sora watched Kairi suspiciously before turning after the others with the auburn haired girl at his side. They caught up to the other two within a moment.

"How much of that conversation did you two hear?" he asked apprehensively. Kairi shrugged and Riku murmured a reply.

"Something about a sparrow was what I picked up." Ally snorted.

"They're not very good eavesdroppers…" she laughed. Sora rolled his eyes.

"So, why should we visit Jack and co. soon?" he asked her, continuing their conversation and knowing she would drop him a subtle meaning in the end.

"Well, you've heard of Davy Jones, right?" she asked him, the four of them striding through the paved streets of Radiant Gardens as they made their way to Merlin's. Sora nodded.

"Vaguely… he's like… the grim reaper of the sea, or something… right?" Ally nodded in a 'eh, close enough' kind of way.

"Well, turns out that Jack's in a _tad _of trouble with Davy Jones."

"Just a tad?"

"He owes a life debt," she said indifferently, shrugging. "Something to do with being Captain for however-many years. But anyway, Davy Jones has this chest that's buried somewhere-or-rather and he has this key to this chest somewhere-or-rather else."

"And Jack's after the chest?"

"No, Jack's after the key," she told him. "Without the key, there ain't no point in having the chest, now, is there?" Sora nodded his head in acceptance of the fact. "So he kind of… forfeited Will to Davy Jones to get the key."

"He did _what_?" Sora exclaimed, staring at her incredulously. She frowned, shrugging off his gaze.

"He's a pirate, Sora. Take what you can, give nothing back. You should know that." He frowned, hearing Kairi giggle at his outburst. Riku was listening. Barely. "Well, anyway. That's when I was there last. Which means Jack's three days are up."

"What three days?"

"Oh, right…" She stared at the ground thoughtfully. "Well, Jack gave Will to Mister Jones and the fish people-"

"Fish people?" Riku asked suddenly, delighting in cutting her off. She rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yes, they're really ugly and you remind me of them," she retorted quickly, waving it off. She turned back to Sora. "And Mister Jones said 'ok, I'll keep this one but your soul is worth a hundred souls so you have three days to bring me another ninety-nine and it'll pay off your debt'. I think Jack failed, even if he went to Tortuga. But if the three days are up, then Mister Jones has released his terrible beasty to chase after Jack and send him to the locker."

"Beasty?"

"The Cracken," she announced with vigour. "It's like a giant squid with huge teeth and stinky breath."

"And the locker?"

"Davy Jones' locker- Mister Jones is attempting to send Jack to the locker so he may spend the rest of eternity facing his horrible demons and suffering inner turmoil. It's a forever of torture, facing the different parts of you. Strangely though, those other parts can't kill you…"

And there is was…

Ally's explanation. Davy Jones' locker was the other place, except there, the only one who could kill him was him.

He frowned. An interesting prospect. "Is there a way out of the locker?"

"Probably," Ally replied boredly.

"And is Jack definitely going to be sent there and likely to be abandoned?"

"Definitely."

"Hmm… I guess we're slicing and dicing said terrible beasty in the near future then…"

"I guess we are."

"SORA! YOU'RE JUST IN TIME!" a very loud, very ecstatic sounding voice rung out in the street. There was a black blur around them before a very hyper girl with short black hair appeared in front of Sora, taking in his appearance quietly, her face pressed up close to his as she analysed Every. Single. Detail.

"Hello Yuffie," he said bluntly. She cocked her head to the side before reaching up the ruffle his hair.

"You got a haircut!" she said. Hell, she practically _sung _it. "Very nice. But you looked much better with your own unique 'Sora' do." He grinned as she stepped back.

"That's what _I_ said," he complained through clenched teeth. "I'm still thinking of a way to get Donald back for that…"

"Try setting him on fire while he's sleeping or something…" Yuffie told him, turning to examine the rest of them.

"Or set his room on fire, then he'll have nothing left," Ally advised softly as Yuffie turned to her. They stared at each other for a moment, doing the exact same things, perfect mirrors. Yuffie giggled and Ally smiled, an understanding clearly sprung between them, before turning to examine Kairi.

"Is it just me, or do our conversation always wind up back at fire?" Sora asked softly, staring at Ally questioningly.

"Hey-y-y-y… I remember you!" Yuffie was saying as she stared the redhead down. "You're Kairi- Sora's lady friend."

"Excuse us, but what's that make Ally?" Riku asked snidely, earning a solid kick in the shin from the violet-eyed girl. He hissed at the impact, realising he'd been ignored by everyone except the girl.

"Sora's lady friend?" Kairi was asking curiously. "Meaning what?" Yuffie's nose twitched, feeling a glare from Sora. She shrugged.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a grin. "But nice ta see ya again, Kairi!" Then she turned to Riku, sizing him up curiously. "Sora, ya never told me you had such a hot friend," she said bluntly. "Why?" Sora laughed.

"Well, I dunno, Yuffie… maybe because I don't see guys that way?" he explained cheerily, beginning to walk again. Riku, surprisingly, was blushing, even if only slightly. He found himself daring a glance at Ally to see her reaction, but she was already off with Sora, delighting him with a chat about _something _that he didn't know. He frowned, feeling a tad disappointed and hating her for making him feel such an un-Riku emotion, looking back to Yuffie curiously.

"Riku," he said simply. She smiled.

"Nice to meet ya, Riku. Heard a lot about you."

They turned, following Sora and Ally quickly, Kairi slightly ahead of them. What an interesting introduction.



"So, the locker hey?"

"You intend to get to know your other parts, Sora?" Ally asked seriously, aware the slight distance in between them and the other three was closing.

"Sounds fun, Ally, I can't deny."

"Look after yourself, Sora," she warned. He shot her a genuine Sora grin. She smiled sadly and shook her head with a giggle at his next words.

"Don't I always?"

"So you never told me what you tasted here."

"Do I have to?" he whined, turning to her with a childish pout. She laughed.

"Yes, Sora. Otherwise it's word association!" she told him sternly. He groaned. Doomed. _Doomed!_

"It tastes like… grey…" he told her softly, eyes closing as he stopped in confusion as he re-evaluated his answer.

"Grey has a taste now?" Ally asked simultaneously with Kairi as the girl approached. He made a strange face, gagged a little and opened his eyes, biting something back as he started walking again.

"Apparently," he answered. Kairi raised an eyebrow while Ally cocked her head to the side as he walked past her. She turned to walk beside him.

"You sure it tastes like grey?" she asked him doubtfully. He shot her a funny look before stopping again and attempting to redo his earlier action.

"Absolutely," he said after a moment. "It tastes," he began, spreading his arms. "Like grey." Ally pouted, falling into step with him as he began to walk yet _again_.

"Sora, may I ask what grey tastes like?"

"If you don't expect an answer, sure!" he replied jokingly. She shrugged.

"What about Mister Riku?"

"Tastes like warheads. Tiny little lollies with a whole lot of bite," he explained as the girl opened her mouth to ask. She closed her mouth abruptly, thinking.

"Now I can pretend I know what you two're talking about, or you can actually tell me," Kairi stated dully, watching the two of them curiously. Sora could tell she was wondering exactly _what _they were talking about. And if they were possibly insane. Sora grinned.

"Trust me, you wouldn't get it," he assured her, not realising her face fell to reflect both anger and sadness before he continued. "Probably because I don't quite get it myself. And that'd be _why_, Ally?"

She grinned in reply and patted him on the arm. "I'm holding out on you, Sora, don't we both know. Because you aren't quite ready to know."

"And when will I be ready to know exactly why Radiant Gardens tastes like grey?" he asked her, slightly frustrated. Kairi's anger lost it's glow, knowing his ignorance was genuine.

"Oh, you'll know when you're ready," she assured him. "Because Saor will probably tell you what he exists for."

"Who's Saor?" Riku asked, joining the conversation abruptly. Sora smiled.

"One of my alter-egos. Ally's making me sound like a nutter…" he thought for a minute. "Possible that Ally's making me a nutter."

"Definitely maybe," the violet-eyed girl said proudly, falling behind Riku and proceeding to kick him in the back of the knees, as seemed to be her new favourite pastime. He groaned.

"Shall we come back to the warning at Halloween Town, Ally?" Sora asked her. She glanced at the back of his head before turning back to kick Riku again.

"Oh, he won't hit me! He couldn't if he tried- he can't even see past that silver mop of his… does anyone here have scissors?"

"Ally cuts hair?" Kairi asked curiously. Ally smiled evilly, staring straight at the back of Riku's head. He stopped and turned to look at her warily, seeing the mischievous glint in her eyes before he heard her reply in the third person.

"Oh, she sure does…"



"You took your time, Sora," Leon stated blankly, looking away from Cid's computer as the rather large group entered Merlin's house. He studied the keyblade master for a moment, one eyebrow raised. "And you got a haircut? Who are you impressing here?" he asked, glancing immediately at Kairi somewhat suggestively. Sora rolled his eyes, passing off the sarcastic comment boredly. It was getting rather repetitive. All eyes were on the keyblade master- Leon, Yuffie, Cid, Aerith, Merlin, Roxas, Naminé, Kairi, Riku, Ally, Donald, Goofy, and Axel (a/n. woooo, what a mouthful…).

"So… what're we facing here, Leon?" he asked, getting straight to the point. Leon raised an eyebrow again, turning back to the computer.

"Our security system's turning up a few glitches. It's been on overload, recently. Take that last huge offensive from the Heartless and the Nobodies, and times it by three."

Sora nodded, staring at the picture on the computer screen. He cocked his head to the side as Donald and Goofy came up beside him.

"Tron will needs some backup," Donald commented. "The Heartless will be attacking in the system as well as out of it." Sora nodded, strictly remembering his earlier conversation with Ally. _Aros… Who would he kill first? _Space Paranoids was out of the question.

"Roxas and Naminé can go," he said softly. He felt all his friends stare at him curiously (with the exception of Ally). It was unlike him to volunteer another in his place to help a friend. He could feel all of their surprise and concern, but he didn't care. The picture on the computer screen had his full attention now- it was a black-haired man, probably in his early thirties. He had grey eyes that held no emotion, only an endless blankness. Sora turned his head to the other side, examining it carefully before he made his deduction. "He's a chaser."

There was a tremor. It was only slight, a tiny shake of the ground beneath their feet. Sora spun away from the computer, catching Ally's gaze. The girl frowned, but nodded her approval of both his deduction and his battle tactics.

"His name's Durham," she said. "If Mister Vasaar is leading this attack, we've no time to lose. This is more than just strategic- he's planning to make this world his battlefront…" There was another tremor, much more powerful this time, and accompanied by a loud crash. They were having a hard time steadying themselves as the earthquake continued.

"Roxas, Naminé, _go_," Sora ordered, starting for the door. "Donald, Goofy, one of you two go with them. Where's Cloud?"

"He and Tifa went off Sephiroth searching a week ago," Aerith commented.

"Typical. They'll turn up soon," Sora replied, pulling open the door and walking out into the afternoon glow. The grey sheen of the world had darkened considerably, in his eyes. Smoke was rising from the Bailey, billowing out from it's original thin plume. Another tremor shook the ground, and the smoke thickened. Leon emerged from the house behind him, following the younger boy's gaze. He groaned loudly.

"We only just fixed that!" he complained loudly. Sora chuckled, starting off towards the Bailey with the Oathkeeper appearing in his hand.

"Better not let them wreck it anymore, then, Leon," he laughed, glancing back as Leon started after him (gunblade in hand) and the others appeared from just outside the doorway. "You don't want to have to start over entirely." Leon growled agreement as Ally and Riku joined them, an apprehensive looking Kairi materializing beside Sora quietly. Donald led Roxas and Naminé off to Ansem's computer while Goofy joined the group.

"Think we'll be able to do this?" Goofy asked them loudly. Sora glanced at him and grinned goofily (a/n. adjective. ADJECTIVE!!! Not noun. ADJECTIVE!!!).

"Have a little faith," he commented cheerily.

"Faith is sightless foolishness," Leon said, earning a raised eyebrow from Sora.

"Blind stupidity," Ally translated, rolling her eyes. "Faith is blind stupidity."

"Well good," Sora commented. "'Cause stupidity is something I excel at."

Ally giggled as the two of them broke out from the pack, running ahead.

"From the mouth of blind stupidity itself," she laughed. He grinned at her, Oblivion keyblade appearing in his other hand and her staff appearing in her hands. Ignoring the protests behind them, they disappeared, far ahead from their friends before Yuffie caught up to them with her ninja speed.

"Geez, leave us behind why don't you!" she complained. They exchanged a look before replying together, a sense of hilarity hidden in their voices as their eyes glittered with a shared lust for battle.

"Fine," they retorted. "We will."

* * *

We're watching Harry Potter in my house. And I'm myspace scouting for new bands and stuff. Got some pretty nice things here. IF YOU LIKE PANIC! AT THE DISCO, YOU WILL LIKE THE CLASSIC CRIME!!!

Muahahahahaha!


	12. Durham Of The Wind Scythe

Disclaimer: … if I still have to tell you, you are stupider than the posters on my wall… then again, they're pretty darn good posters.

**To my reviewers: you are awesome, I haven't had a flame yet. Also, about the new fetish for hot chocolate a few of you seem to have- I'm evil that way :)**

**butaNENG: sure, i'd love any pictures really. i'd ask my sister cause she's really good at drawing but it's the 5th week of the holidays or something, so we're all territorial alpha female, lol. kidding, but not really...**

Straight to the chase- battle in this chapter, and yeah, the whole deal gets more than a little confusing. That's because I don't plan what I'm going to write, I just sort of write it, and I don't have the patience to edit. Too bad.

If you don't like Three Days Grace, I don't like you.

Kidding, as long as you don't go on about how crappy they may or may not be, I don't mind, but I love them. Alternative music is my fix, so be it.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve (that's right, the big 1-2!)**

It started as a clenching feeling in the bottom of her gut. She ignored it, trying in vain not to feel those feelings. Thing is, it only started that way when she saw the brunette run off with Ally. Again. Then it got worse, filling her from head to toe. She was seething, her blood was boiling, and she wanted to _kill _something. But she refused to believe that she was even a tad feeling like _that_. She wasn't jealous. She was _not _jealous. She was-

Okay, she was jealous.

Riku had glanced at her a few times warily, noting the deathly gleam in her eyes. He tried not to comment on it or attract any unfriendly attention, but perhaps his sense for his brunette friend's safety kicked in and he decided to save the wielder of light's hide for the day, because he spoke up when they were nearing the Bailey.

"You shouldn't take it to heart, you know," he told her softly. She glanced at him angrily, refusing to answer. He rolled his eyes boredly, fending off his fear of the frustrated princess. "He's got some stuff going on at the moment, and she's the only one who can tell him how to fix it."

"Fix what?" she asked sharply. Riku shut his mouth, annoyed. He should have phrased it differently- it was, after all, Sora's secret, and if anyone else was to explain it to the princess, it should have been the keyblade master. Of course, that didn't mean that the redhead would stop badgering the boy with the silver mop on his head about exactly _what _needed fixing. So he chose to conveniently ignore her and draw Way To Dawn.

"Don't bug him, Kairi," he warned finally, blowing off any further banter. "He'll tell you when he wants to." They reached the bailey, noting that the wall had yet again been torn down and they were looking down to a pile of rubble. Heartless were streaming in through the hole in the wall, meeting the wrath of Yuffie's giant-ninja-star-something-starting-with-'d' (a/n. I can't be bothered to look it up, so shoot me), and not far out from the wall two figures were darting around with weapons, glittering pink hearts flying up around them as they danced.

Kairi was surprised by what she saw then- Riku watched them both for a moment and _smiled_… She found herself amid a 'wtf' moment, before reminding herself that Riku was clearly falling for Ally, and falling _hard_. She grinned, suddenly feeling better. If Riku wasn't worried about their friends' relationship, why should she be?

She didn't know how, but next moment they were both down at the bottom of the rubble pile, a horde of heartless closing in on them and Yuffie's sharp star flying infront of them before the ninja followed it herself, trailing after Leon and Goofy quickly. She glanced back at them with an apologetic look.

"Have fun holding down the fort!"

Riku groaned, slicing at a heartless that came too close for his taste. Then he turned to Kairi, raising an eyebrow as he stood there boredly, occasionally raising his keyblade. She stared back, hesitantly drawing True Heart (a/n. I read a lot of fanfiction, so if it's wrong, too bad) in a shaft of light as he waited for her.

"What?" she asked simply. He rolled his eyes.

"You said you wanted to learn to fight- go for your life."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

There was a buzz in his ears, slowly growing as he hacked away at another opponent. It wasn't the adrenaline, or the eerie presence he could feel watching his movements, the chaser sending a live feed to the mysterious Vasaar. It wasn't even the numbness from the shrieks and shouts of Heartless and partners alike. It was something he'd only felt once before, when he'd first met Ally. It was something familiar and foreign at the same time. And it was oddly comforting while it was sinister.

The buzz was like a repetitive murmuring. Possibly plural. And he knew what it was when he decided not to think about it anymore. It was Saor. More accurately, it was Aros, trying to drown out anything that may alert him. Hearing wasn't the only sense, though- he'd just have to rely on the others.

Ally shot forward as he sent the last heartless into wisps. They were utilising a strange maneuver- one battling off a flank before the next one slipped past after a short rest. As such, they were leap frogging further and further away from the town, and more into the gorge. The path cleared behind them was slowly filling up again, being pushed back out as Leon, Yuffie and Goofy jumped into the cracks.

There was a whooshing sound in Sora's right ear that broke over the buzz for a moment. Aros was as surprised as Sora, it seemed, the buzz seeping out of his ears slowly as he turned to see a heartless shadow wisping away in smoke, a large blade wrapped in dirty bandages whirling away from it quickly. Sora spun on the spot, wide-eyed with surprise that the heartless had gotten so close.

"You should pay more attention, Sora," Cloud commented simply, blonde hair being tousled slightly in the breeze. Sora just nodded with a frown as the buzz came back full force. Tifa came into the picture soon after, fist smashing through a heartless's skull forcefully. He couldn't hear what she said as she smiled at him, but he read her lips, figuring it to be something along the lines of 'we've got things here- go on'.

He ran forward as, as if on cue, Ally's staff swiped through the last line of the pack she was facing, glinting metal dagger-end slicing through the heartless silently. He shot past her, clothes sparkling as a silver wind picked up around him and a sheen of silver glittered in his eyes. Final form was upon him.

The buzz kept going.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Naminé, you can choose to ignore what I'm about to say, but under these circumstances and with you seriously frying these Heartless' circuits, I'm going to say it anyway," Roxas shouted, jumping below the low programmed wall as Naminé set off another lightning spell. She glanced at him from her crouching position as he pushed himself into a sitting position. One of the glowing-circuited heartless let another explosive laser disk fly over their heads as Roxas put his back on the wall, head covered with a glowing bandana. He was breathing heavily, Oblivion keyblade barely even in his hand as he rested from the onslaught of the in-system heartless battlefront.

Donald and Tron were out there somewhere, bound to slip back below their low wall that was a base sometime soon. Naminé locked eyes with the blonde boy for a moment, encouraging him to continue as she set off yet another thunder spell at the approaching mass of heartless. He grinned.

"Have I ever told you I love you?" he asked, still breathing hard. She smiled in spite of herself and shook her head.

"Love you too," she told him quietly, a soft blush creeping onto her cheeks before Donald leapt over the wall, landing beside them as a barrage of missiles flew after him, crashing into the wall a little away from them. The duck righted himself and looked at the two of them critically, obviously catching the end of their conversation.

"That's all very nice, but would you two mind actually doing something here!?"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"How do you think he's doing?" Kairi gasped loudly, struggling for breath. Riku turned a little to take her in as a thin flank of heartless drove into the bailey from the hole in the wall. He laughed humorously.

"Dunno," he said, sweeping through most of the flank with Way To Dawn before Kairi stepped up to ruin the last few with her own keyblade. He started for the destructed hole, making his way out onto the real battlefield. "So let's go find out."

Kairi rolled her eyes, following after him. _Boys_…

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Sora, he's waiting for you," Ally shouted, diverting a heartless's lunge with her staff effortlessly. She glanced at her partner frustratedly as she realised he wasn't listening, but instead kept hacking away at the Heartless mindlessly, rarely even touching his dual keyblades as they hovered around him. He let off another spell every so often, working more on the effect of physically dodging attacks. "Sora?" she shouted again. And again he seemed to ignore her. "SORA! YOU STUPID GIT! THERE'S A CHASER HERE FOR YOU AND YOU AREN'T EVEN LISTENING!!!"

Of course, the knight was still ignoring her, the buzz in his ears at it's natural high. Ally rolled her eyes, approaching him cautiously and reaching out quickly with her staff at long range, the knife-like ends melding back into the wood as she ignored the heartless and smacked her staff into the side of his head. He spun around curiously, a flare of anger in his eyes before he saw her and cocked his head. He raised a hand, his keyblades striking out at the approaching heartless with a mind of their own, and tapped on his ears with a curious expression. Ally frowned.

"Tell him to shut up, then," she said slowly, making sure he could read her lips. He spread his hands questioningly. _How? _Ally rolled her eyes. Then she raised an eyebrow. "I could knock you out again, but I don't think that'd help either of us," she commented seriously. He laughed, apparently understanding the general implication. He shook his head, trying to speak at a normal tone when he couldn't hear himself.

"Which way do I go?" he asked evenly, implying that all he needed to know was exactly where the chaser was. Ally didn't get the chance to answer.

"You don't have to go anywhere." Sora's expression changed, apparently less confused and more wary as the buzzing in his ears lowered, probably disappearing. Aros was apparently aware of the enemy, and wanted to pay full attention to the fight. Sora turned quietly as the figure behind him moved his hand in a waving motion. In Ally's direction and a new wave of heartless surrounded her in their masses. A second later, Riku had jumped into a stance beside her, seeming to appear from nowhere with Kairi materialising beside him.

Sora ignored it- they would be fine, for now. He focused on the chaser, watching him with silvery blue eyes.

"Mister Riku… why are you here? And Miss Kairi too?" Ally asked softly, waiting in a flowing battle stance. Riku glanced at her and frowned, while Kairi motioned to the Heartless around them and then to Sora. Ally smiled. "I wouldn't worry about Mister Sora, even if he did fail, Aros would take his place. Of course, Aros _would _kill us all." She frowned. "Y'know what? Maybe you _should _worry…"

"Why aren't they attacking?" Riku cut in, clearly in no need of the mental pictures of Anti-Sora massacring them. Kairi, of course, passed the whole commentary off with her genuine ignorance, still not knowing of Sora's affliction. Ally glanced around at the surrounding heartless indifferently, noting the motionlessness.

"Vasaar is holding off the attack. They're not attacking the other's anymore, I guarantee you," she explained softly.

"I thought you said this guys name is Durham," Kairi murmured loudly, attracting the girl's attention. She nodded.

"I did. He's a chaser. He's just a host, and Vasaar's using him like a parasite does," she explained quickly. "Because… he _is_ a parasite. Biology 101, what happens to the vessel when a particularly vicious parasite is finished with it's vessel or in danger of using it anymore?"

"Uh… Separation?" Kairi asked doubtfully. Riku shot her a stony glance, realising the implications of what would happen to Durham once Sora was finished with him, though there was very little doubt that the chaser would be more than a match for the keyblade master. He answered correctly, a grim tone backing his voice.

"Self-destruction."

Sora, of course, wasn't listening to their conversation as he was having two, not just one but _two_, of his own. There was a shouting match raging in his head, his voice understandable, and Aros's coming across as more of a roaring snarl. And then he was having a chat with a perfectly blank canvas Chaser, who was obviously just saying what Vasaar directed him to.

"Young Keyblade Master, I grant you your props," Durham was saying tonelessly, his rough voice edged with a scratchiness that Sora was unfamiliar with. It was probably from the lack of vocal use, he decided.

Aros snarled in his head at the thought, guttural but somehow translatable for Sora. _Spot on, big guy_. He hissed back at his opposite angrily, throwing a mental blow at something in his head and hoping it was actually the heartless bastard. He gained another roar as a response. _I'm not heartless, I just have a twisted version of right and wrong_, he translated. Aros was turning out to be a lot less mindless than he'd originally thought.

"Vasaar, ya got a cruel game going on here," he said aloud.

"I'm Durham," the chaser replied evenly, grey eyes watching the boy blankly. Sora laughed.

"I'm not fooled," he said loudly. "The average chaser's just a robot waiting to be rewired. And me, I'm a freaking visionary. Useless, but always looking for something bigger, am I right?"

"You don't dream of a brighter future, keyblade wielder," Vasaar told him through the chaser's mouth. "You work to create this better world for everyone, but you're destined to be part of it, too…" Sora laughed, his anger rising to the delight of Aros.

"No, Vasaar. I dream of a better future, and I aspire to create it," he corrected loudly. "But in that future, there is no place for me."

"Accept this darkness and you can _make _your own place," Vasaar appealed. Sora could imagine the faceless figure sitting in his computer chair and watching the scene play out smugly as he spoke into a makeshift microphone rigged magically to Durham's lifeless body. "After all, you can't have a bright future without a smudge of darkness to show its overall glamour! And you can't have that darkness without the Vampire Prince to rule it."

Sora turned swiftly to Ally, meeting her sad eyes with a sense of pleading. _Tell me it's not true… _She shook her head and looked away, refusing his plea.

"I meant it when I said it, Sora," she murmured softly, heard only by him but heard quite clearly. Her words from Halloween Town rung in his ears in place of Aros's silenced snarls. _"We make a good team… …A vampire prince and a rebel chaser."_ His own eyes found the floor, staring coldly at the bubbling darkness of a shadow stuck sunk into the ground. The helplessness and sadness slowly turned to raw anger, and he felt Kairi's eyes on him but refused to look up.

"You knew this darkness was yours, but you never knew why," Vasaar taunted, obviously with so much hilarity it made it's own slight way into Durham's plain voice. "Accept it, come with me- you'll never be left in the light again…" Sora's brow was furrowed in anger, his silver-glazed eyes flaring angrily.

_I wonder where he got that bad play on words from…? _

Wait… that wasn't Aros…!

I mean, left in the DARK, left in the LIGHT… anyone could've gotten that, really. They also could've thought of a better pun…

That definitely wasn't Aros.

_**Saor?**_

The-e-e one and only. I guess this is your business, so I'll just chatter away with Mister Guttural here again... Have fun blowing up the host!

Left alone again, staring angrily at the ground. He laughed.

"I'm not that damned desperate," he murmured spitefully, Oblivion and Oathkeeper crossed harmlessly at his back.

"I never said you were, young man. But I think you would enjoy this darkness," Vasaar continued, clearly not knowing when to quit. Perhaps he was a little shaky on the details. "It's as though you've been pulled into a happy quicksand and you just want to keep sinking."

Sora shook his head stubbornly, keyblades lowering to his hands slowly.

"How many times do I have to say no?" he replied, voice rising hysterically. His keyblades slipped into his hands after a slow twirl to face the right way. He gripped the blades tightly, knuckles whitening because of the pressure. He jerked his head slightly, flicking his brown fringe out of his eyes. His eyes flared again with silver as his keyblades submitted to him, although in final form. The corner of his mouth curved upward slowly in a maddening smile, and the corner of his mouth split open in a creepy grin sluggishly, baring his growing in left fang.

"Never take no for an answer, Mister Vasaar," he spat, a less-than-subtle fury lashing out in each word. He realised the use of the prefix, finally beginning to understand why Ally used it. "Then you'll find another way to be refused."

"Why would anyone refuse such a wonderful ideal offer?" Vasaar asked dumbly, possibly overlooking the abrupt change.

"Because," Sora began, a slight snarl in the two syllables. "This isn't an _ideal world_," he finished, spinning and hacking at Durham's harmless form, only to be blocked by a large scythe in the chaser's hands. He was thrown back violently, crashing back to slide on the ground a few metres away. The chaser started having a spasm, punishment for drawing his weapon against the keyblade master. Sora began laughing insanely, sitting up slowly with his keyblades in his hands.

"Sora, control yourself!" Ally warned him, glancing at the surrounding heartless warily as they began to move again in slow motion. "Durham's a master of the wind scythe. Don't tick him off!"

Sora rolled his eyes, shaking his head angrily. "Screw you," he murmured, getting to his feet as the blue in his eyes flashed red, still holding the silver sheen of his Final form. He grinned, his sharp fangs glinting in the jagged sunlight maliciously. He faced Durham slowly, a soft red glow tingeing the air around him. He cocked his head to the side curiously. "Vasaar, you're s'posed to be some slick-shit killer," he laughed (a/n. yes, I've watched Chronicles of Riddick a little too much…). "But all I see here is a guy too afraid to do a thing himself. What're ya hiding from, Vasaar? Too afraid of the freaking Prince of Darkness to come see him in person?"

"I thought you were kidding when you said you were a visionary," Vasaar replied. "Apparently not. Well then, let's really get this war started, shall we?" Durham swiped forward with his scythe, blocked by Sora's keyblades crossed against the staff part. The heartless disappeared from around Sora's friends, and he knew that those near the town dissipated too, reappearing in ordered lines behind Durham. Sora laughed, eyes settling on crimson.

Behind him Ally winced, grabbing Kairi and Riku by the arms and pulling them away quickly, eyes not leaving the brunette boy.

"Not good, not good…" she murmured. Riku tensed at her tone, hearing a slight tendril of _fear _in her voice. "Go, go, go," she told them, pushing them back the way they'd come. "You do _not _want to see this- go get medical help…"

"Medical help?" Kairi asked weakly. Riku gripped her shoulder, pulling her away at Ally's warning as the black haired girl turned back to Sora distantly, murmuring her answer.

"I'm no good at magic, remember?"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"CLOUD!" Yuffie shouted. "CLOUD IS HERE!!! Wait… does that make Sora psychic, now?"

"Yuffie, calm down," Leon replied evenly, gunblade point dropping to the ground slowly as the Heartless disappeared from around them. He glanced down at the town streets from his place on the Bailey, noting a lack of Heartless anywhere. Then he looked down to Yuffie again, who was now hassling a tired looking Cloud and Tifa.

"Where'd the Heartless go?" Goofy asked curiously, walking up beside him as Leon's eyes scanned out into the gorge. He pointed to the writhing army, one figure at the head of it surrounded by a shimmering silver wind as he rose into the air. Goofy watched too as a red light rose to oppose the silver, shooting out in different directions as if it were glowing blood spurting from it's source.

"We saw Sora," Tifa called up to them. Cloud followed her gaze to Leone, his voice carrying after hers.

"He wasn't himself- and there's-"

He was interrupted by a colossal explosion rocking the earth. Yuffie covered her ears while the others stood strong, immediately looking out to the red and silver lights. They flew apart brutally, backlashing off their clash. Leon looked away in time to see two figures returning to the Bailey at breakneck speed.

"What the hell is going on out there?" he shouted. Riku looked directly up at him, unable to speak for lack of knowing what to say. Kairi looked up to him angrily, tears threatening in her eyes.

"It's Sora," she said loudly, looking back out to the lights as they clashed again with another explosive connection (a/n. I enjoy anything with relation to fire. That includes anything related to the word 'explosion', lol). "Ally said we need medical…" she trailed off sadly, biting back the fury that was all too evident anyway. "We have to help him…"

Leon just nodded, exchanging a glance with Yuffie that sent her off to find Aerith in moments. Then he looked back out to the battle, watching it dismally as the two figures clashed again and again, every time sending off bouts of flames and sparks. He shook his head, reminding himself to lecture the king for the lack of details later.

What the _hell _was going on?

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

Ally sat down on the hillside boredly as the heroics played out, swerving off bouts of flame with her staff every once in a while. She ignored the explosive crashing thunder, rolling her eyes every time the two aura's clashed above her.

"I daresay, Mister Sora, you _do _have a flair for attracting attention, don't you," she murmured bluntly at one point. She did have to admire his talent, of course. And that was because not six metres away, an entire army allowed to attack her and _wanting _to at one point, was watching the show rather interestedly and with amusement. She herself spent more time watching the heartless than she did the battle. She cocked her head to the side as one stepped forward to examine a particularly bright strand of fire arcing towards it, earning the burning flame right in it's face. She laughed as the soldier heartless ran around in a circle, it's helmet on fire as it's body burned down.

"Heartless scream like girls," she commented humorously. She did a double take, looking at her own hands for a moment as she re-evaluated her observation. "Girly-girls. Heartless scream like girly-girls."

She turned her gaze back to Sora and raised an eyebrow, still thinking over her statement. "And Andre, too. Because _Andre _screams like a heartless, and a heartless screams like a girly-girl." In fact, she had an entire conversation with herself on the topic as she waited for the battle to finish. She crossed her arms boredly as she waited.

"What the _hell _are you doing?"

She turned to look over her shoulder as Riku joined her again, this time alone. In no mood for Riku-Ally bonding time, she turned back to watch Sora quickly, answering him dully.

"I'm waiting. Should I _be _doing something?" she asked sarcastically. She felt him stand beside her, arms crossed.

"Maybe, I don't know… _helping _him?"

She rolled her eyes. "You really want someone to help him, go up there and get cut up yourself. I'm quite fine here, thank you very much!" The closed her eyes with a wince. Nope, she'd just done what she didn't want to. _Please no- not the Riku-Ally bonding time…_

"What _is _your problem?"

Too late… 

"_You _are my problem, Mister Riku," she yelled, fury at the boy's arrogance flaring up in less than a moment. "Because, to put it simply, you _piss me off_! You're arrogant and ignorant and it makes me tick all the more that _you _have the _nerve _to lecture me about things you don't even understand!" There was a silence, not even punctuated by the familiar clashing of the chaser and the vampire prince before Riku answered.

"Is that so?" he said lightly. She held out for a long moment, eyes closed and straight-faced before her mouth twitched into a smile and she started to laugh.

"Damn, I _hate _you," she said in between laughs. "And you make me not want to hate you, and it makes me hate you even more!" She stood up and brushed herself off before she turned to him, causing him to stare at her for a moment before she tapped him on the side of the head softly. "Why'd you have to be so damned… _Riku_…?" she asked, obviously lacking in the vocabulary. She turned back to Sora.

She knelt down and picked up a random rock about the size of her fist. She weighed it uncertainly as she stood up again, ignoring Riku's clueless form. She took aim quietly, throwing the rock from hand to hand, before she leant back and lobbed it at Durham. There was a resounding 'clunk' over the high winds and Durham winced in the air, his demeanour dropping for a moment.

"Such insolence!" Vasaar shouted over the noise. "My heartless army- go forth! Young keyblade wielder, if you refuse to join me, you'll perish alongside your friends." Sora, now WAY beyond the point of human comprehension, growled, flipping back away from their connected weapons as Durham's scythe lit up and dark clouds swept in slowly overhead.

His keyblades slipped from his hands whirling across his back in an 'X' pattern. His lowered head was raised slightly as he brought his hands back and gathered his energy, facing Durham and his army. His crimson hate-filled eyes glared at the chaser furiously as the silver in his fingers grew, tinted with shades of blood red.

"Oh shizit," Ally stated bluntly, watching the scene and refraining from swearing at a perfectly appropriate time. "We gotta move." She grabbed Riku's arm and pulled him forcefully away from the heartless army, ordered for free reign but still obsessed with the light show.

"What do you mean?" he asked, following a little stubbornly. She glanced at him and frowned.

"Take Durham's _self_-destruction, and add on to it Sora's _intent_ of destruction, and you've got one mighty big bang, Mister Riku. Duck and cover, duck and cover…"

They disappeared into a semi-protected place as the silver energy in Sora's hands compressed and expanded out another inch or two. The Oathkeeper and the Oblivion spun back around in front of him, spinning in a circle in front of him, almost hilt to hilt. The spinning got faster as the silver and red in his hands got brighter.

Durham's scythe lit up with tendrils of electricity as a low rumble swept across the gorge, emitted from the dark, rolling thunderclouds overhead. Several lightning bolts flashed down from the clouds, connecting with the electric scythe. There was another crash of thunder and a heavy rain began to fall, pounding on the grey stone ground and the heartless, splashing off whatever it made contact with. The scythe seemed larger now, a sharp wind barrier enlarging the weapon.

That's why it's the 'wind scythe'… 

Another flash of lightning powering up the scythe, another shiver through Sora's body with the compression and release of his energy into the build-up. He was more dark now.

Mindless.

Angry.

But he wasn't Aros- Aros was clever. He worked with trickery and deceit, and the language he spoke wasn't English- but he spoke it well. He knew what he was doing, and even if it were wrong, he did what he did because he chose to, and did it right. He was of a different intent, but he was lateral. Lateral was good.

But this… this was different. Fury and bloodlust, emptiness… he felt _hungry_, and that was wrong on _so _many levels. But he also felt free, weightless- like there was nothing in the world that could stop him. He was invincible. But he was still hungry, and that was bad.

"Do you feel it now?!" Durham shouted over the noise at Vasaar's orders. "That power, that hunger… it's _everything_!!! And with it you can rule the worlds, destroy them, kill your friends… Take command of this army and fulfil your destiny!"

Heat from the energy in his hands. Fury. The keyblades slowed down their spin, beginning to stop as his red eyes connected with Durham's grey ones in violent defiance. Preparing to unleash his attack, he saw Durham pull back his scythe.

"Never!" he shouted, rebellious and disconnected. He unleashed the force (a/n. omg, that sounded soooo star wars-y… rofl) from his hands, pushing it away from him through the gap between his keyblades. A huge beam of silver and red ensued, met by Durham's mighty wind attack, swirling with electricity. They collided, both hosts pushing forward for moments. Slowly, so slowly, Sora was pushed backwards before…

… he snarled, enforced by _something _inside him, and pressed forward again, feeling himself draining as the power left his fingertips. The resistance proved too much for Durham, and with a shriek his offensive force was hurtled back towards him and he was engulfed in electricity and a buffeting wind, closely followed by Sora's silver light. He dematerialised in it and it swept over the heartless, not paying them a second glance while Durham still struggled against the immense power of the dark prince keyblade bearer.

Which is when Vasaar pressed the self-destruct button.

There was a huge resounding boom as the last remnants of Sora's power left his fingertips and Durham's power left his own dematerialising body, spreading out in a disc-like wall with immense speed. It crashed into Sora's stationary form, sending him flying as it crunched through his frame, breaking bones and skin. The brunette flew backwards, thrown away from the impact aggressively and falling to crash to the ground. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He was hungry. He was numb.

He stared up at the sky from where he landed, noting the darkening of the world around him. His head was silent- not even Aros could salvage something from this. It got darker and his vision blurred, rationality returning to him slowly.

_We won, why's it getting darker…?_

He felt his eyes closing slowly as someone rushed up beside him. He couldn't make out the words, but he knew the voice. He found himself smiling at it, even though he felt the strangest sensation tingling in his body.

Kairi… I see. We won here, but I lost… 

The shadows fell around him as he stared at a pair of blue eyes. Very _pretty _blue eyes that he normally loved to see. He still did, didn't he? Then, accompanying the return of his thoughts, the pain returned too. His adrenaline and energy gone, he began to feel what he'd held off for moments as the numbness dissipated. It killed in a literal sense, but not as much as Kairi's eyes did as she stroked his hair out of his face, begging him to stay with her as she waited for Aerith.

Didn't she get it? It _hurt_. It hurt a _lot_. And he couldn't hold off the darkness much longer- it was welcoming and warm… he wanted that warmth. He felt cold, too cold. And a little numb here and there. And the darkness was so inviting. He wonderded, what would it feel like to feel nothing at all? More faces appeared.

His eyes closed, the warm darkness taking him in.

It kept raining.

* * *

Oh, I just had to do it. HAD to. I couldn't resist threatening to kill off our favourite main character… well, actually, Ally's my favourite main character, but hey, I'm just saying…

Well, anyway- will Sora die? Will Aros take over his body and kill everybody like in one of those creepy horror movies involving demonic possession? Will I actually write another chapter?

YES! YES! NO!

Kidding, you'll just have to wait to find out-

'Till next time, Duckies!


	13. Initiating Contact

Disclaimer: …I just ate a muffin bar. It was nice. But not as nice as the Kingdom Hearts that I DO NOT OWN!

I do, however, own the taste of grey. It doesn't taste very good, probably why I own it…

Do I go overboard on the battle scenes or WHAT?

**butaNENG: well Riku-Ally Bonding time generally doesn't turn out too well, she has a childish personality and he can't tolerate it, too bad. Uh, about the 'Sora. Will. Not. Die.' thing- very nice use of full-stops, lol. I agree, it'd be a really shitty ending, so don't you worry. And thanks for drawing for me- i owe you, like... a billion...**

**okiegirlforever: this chapter is for the sake of your blood pressure :)**

**Sora-Kairi-4-ever: I wouldn't blame you for the angry mob. And we use one of those lighters to light the oven at our house, lol...**

Wedding scene probably in two or three chapters, doesn't that make you happy?

No news to report currently- haven't seen any movies or new shows, but I'm watching Angel tonight (dude, I'm a Buffy and Angel FIEND!!! But mainly Angel, cause I like vampires- can't you tell? And David Boreanaz, previously mentioned voice of Leon, plays Angel. Hehe!), and going shopping tomorrow. Really just means we're gonna spend most of the day chucking oreos at people from the roof of go-lo. Not to say I don't like oreos… I love oreos. But anyway….

ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!

* * *

**Chapter 13 (hey, almost up to my age, huh…)**

"_Crap!"_

_He wasn't moving. He was NOT moving. What was that? The light show, the crashing… The heartless army was there one moment, gone the next in a bright silver light. Sora- it was Sora, she KNEW it. Thrown back on the wind, through the rain, making his own damned crater in the freaking stone ground. She couldn't see through the dust until he was almost right in front of her, not moving, just staring upwards. He was bloody, the crimson liquid pooling around him._

"_No," she murmured, seeing him almost lifeless. She shook her head. "No, no, no, no, NO!" She rushed up beside him, seeing his lifeless body. She knelt beside him, grasping his hand as his silver clothes reverted back to his normal colours on the broken up ground of Radiant Gardens. His eyes caught hers, not quite lifeless but half closed, one eye blue and one red. She tapped on the side of his face softly. "C'mon, Sora, stay with me," the auburn haired girl pleaded loudly. "You can't leave me, you can't, you can't, you can't…" She was bordering on insane here, she knew. Her fingers traced his jaw softly and she felt herself start to cry._

"_You said you'd teach me magic- you promised," she shouted, not even adding the slightest pressure into her touch. "You can't just take that back- you can't leave me like this. You have to live- even if it's only so I can kill you myself, you stupid bastard…" She looked at him again, watching where her soft fingertips drew on his skin. And she could've sworn he was smiling, even just a little… _

_She laughed madly, cupping the side of his face gently as she heard footsteps. "I didn't mean it, I couldn't mean it… but you promised, Sora, you promised me…" She saw her tears falling on his face as his eyes closed further. "Always making promises, you gotta keep it, __**please**__…"_

"_Kairi, we need to move him." Riku's voice, calm and conserved, normally, but this time edged with worry, Ally at his side. "He'll die."_

_His hand on her shoulder, pulling her up gently as she found Sora's hand, refusing to move. Her, shaking her head stubbornly as she clung to him, fingers tracing his jaw line lovingly. His eyes closed and she leant forward that extra few centimetres, pressing her lips softly against his. Her first kiss with __**her**__ unconscious Sora, afraid it would be her last. Because he was hers, and she couldn't let him go. Riku pulled her up a little more forcefully, holding her as she cried into his shirt and Aerith appeared, Leon and Cloud by her side with a gurney._

"_He can't go, Riku," she whimpered softly. "I'm not ready to let him go…"_

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Sora, my hero!"

"Who're you?"

"I'm you."

"You aren't me."

"Yes he is- I am too."

"And who the hell are you?"

"I just told you, I'm him. And I'm you."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"Yes."

"Really? I was under the impression you couldn't see!"

"And which one of you said that?"

"He did."

"Which is really saying you did."

"I did?"

"I just said that, didn't I?

"I think this is an interesting conversation, Aros, but mind _not_ confusing us?"

"Hey, you started with the hero thing, don't blame me! Blame yourself."

"I am you."

"Well that's extremely convenient now, isn't it?"

"Can you two shut up, please?"

"Sorry Sora."

"Yeah, sorry…"

"You didn't sound that sorry."

"Well neither did you, Mister mighty resistance."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"Guys-"

"Well, I don't know Saor. Maybe it was!"

"Guys…"

"Oh, I am _so _sick of your attitude! You're a freaking-"

"GUYS! Shut the hell up already!"

"Sheesh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Aros… shut it."

Light. Only a soft light, nothing too much. That was good, actually. The confusing conversation was giving him a massive headache. The knowing was giving him a headache. Hell, he probably would've had a headache anyway. After what- just dying. Or… almost dying. A good question indeed- was he actually dead. He groaned, opening his eyes.

Grey. It looked like grey, it tasted like grey. He could see where the floor was- it was a slightly shinier shade of grey. Well, seeing as he could differentiate between the greys, he decided to look for landmarks. Or walls. Or anything, really. They grey just kept on going, endlessly.

"Am I… dead?" he asked himself softly. "Pretty lonesome for life after death."

"Good thing you aren't dead then."

He whirled around to see himself. He scrunched up his face, examining his reflected person. Not himself- grey eyes instead of blue, slightly taller, and with the older Sora hair-do that he so longed to have back.

"If you were dead you'd be stuck here for eternity," the mirror figure said curiously.

"I imagined myself taller."

Sora turned around again, this time facing himself with a darker tone to his skin. Yellow, sharp eyes, and glinting vampiric teeth. Messy hair, with a side fringe half covering one eye and little spikes here and there. Sora took a step back to watch the two of them doubtfully.

"The same, but not the same," the grey eyed one said- Saor. Yellow-eyed Aros murmured something darkly under his breath. Saor raised an eyebrow. "Rather rude when we have a guest," he criticised sardonically. Aros bared his teeth.

"He's not a guest- he owns the place!" he retorted angrily.

"Doesn't mean we can't treat him as a guest, so stop being so… you. Just once."

"No! I like my individuality, thank you very much. As such, I can parade it as much as I want."

"Oh, couldn't you just stop being such a jerk for _once_? You've been awake for six days and you're already pissing me off."

"Now who's being rude?" Aros retorted childishly. Sora raised an eyebrow, watching the two rant.

"You two fight a lot, don't you?" he asked loudly, cutting them off. They both crossed their arms and nodded, turning their backs on each other. Sora cocked his head to the side. "And now is when I really begin to hate myself," he murmured under his breath. "I never thought I was this childish…"

"If you weren't so childish, you wouldn't be here right now," Aros hissed at him, yellow eyes flashing. Sora and Saor both rolled their eyes.

"And… uh… where _is _here, exactly?" he asked, directing his question towards Saor, figuring him to be the more mature (or even just helpful, really) of the two.

"This, my… uh… I don't know exactly what you are, really. I'll consider you a brother, though, for want of my individuality," the grey-eyed boy replied quickly in the one breath. "Okay, so. This, my brother, is your mind, where we- so as to say myself and Mister Never-ending-non-existent-stomach over there- are condemned to stay until you're in a moment of weakness upon which time we may choose to take over your body and wreak havoc and/or order upon the worlds in your place." Sora nodded.

"And if I'm in here with you guys, whose controlling my body?" he asked genuinely interested. Aros and Saor exchanged a look.

"No one," Saor said.

"We're unconscious," Aros said. He tapped Sora on the forehead dully. "You get hurt here and it'll show up on your body, though, because you're still in possession." Saor nodded agreement.

"And why are… uh… _we _unconscious?" Sora asked curiously. Aros huffed and sat down on the grey floor boredly. Saor kicked him in the shin, turning back to Sora.

"Well, _you _put every single thing you have into this massive blast to kill all the heartless, and half-kill the wielder of the wind scythe. Then, on top of that generally life-threatening situation where Aros would've then taken your body and killed everyone else, Mister Vasaar pressed the self-destruct button on his Symbiant crony, sending shockwaves everywhere, which crushed every bone in our body and damaged everything inside- vital organs and more…" He thought for a moment. "And then you slammed into a rock."

Sora was silent, staring at the grey floor. Then he looked up doubtfully. "…Are you sure we aren't dead?" Saor blinked.

"Well, I'm pretty certain I'm not dead. Aros?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you dead?"

"I don't know, Saor, I don't quite feel dead." Sora pursed his lips.

"You two're insane…"

"I take offence to that statement," Aros commented lamely, raising his hand objectively. Saor stared at him with raised eyebrows, then turned back to Sora.

"Congratulations, you offended the un-offendable."

"It's a talent."

"You'll have to teach me some time…" Saor said distantly, coming back to his senses. "We don't know why we aren't dead, actually. When you K.O.ed, we lost all touch with the real world. You have to wake up. Or one of us has to wake up for you. As such, we have no idea what happened that made your body liveable, we just know that it is. We also don't know how much time has passed since you did K.O."

"Isn't time the same?"

"No, not really." Sora just shrugged it off boredly.

"When can I wake up?"

"Whenever you fix what you started."

"A-a-a-a-and what did I start?"

"You started your inner battle. Aros doesn't want you to leave, he wants to wake in your place."

"And you?"

"I'm here to watch, I'm here to listen, and I'm here to guide. I enjoy the blankness of the mind, and I believe a little remark here and there while watching you work like watching a show on the TV's a good life. I see, I feel, I'll die in my own time and you'll be by yourself again, unless I take you with me instead of Aros. I'm supposed to be impartial, but I'm going for you," he added. "So really, if you want to wake up before your lovely friend's wedding, you'd do well to finish your battle with Aros. Then you won't almost kill yourself next time you get in a fight with a chaser."

"You know Kairi?"

"I watch your game, remember?"

"Ah. And I'm going to fight Aros so he doesn't take my spot."

"Pre-e-e-e-etty much…"

"And does Aros really _want _to fight?"

"Aros always wants to fight. He's an annoying git, what do you expect?" Saor asked ironically. Aros stood up, Oblivion keyblade appearing in his hands while thin black flames erupted from his skin. Sora drew the Oathkeeper. "Can't beat your demons if you can't beat yourself," Saor explained, taking a few steps back. "Aros really likes to fight…" The yellow-eyed Sora grinned cheerily, sharp fangs glinting in the grey world of Sora's mind.

"He sure does."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"How is he?" Roxas asked grimly as a tired looking Aerith emerged from the room on the Gummi ship. The tall woman glanced at him curiously, thinking over something as several other pairs of eyes looked to her, both hopeful and grim. She frowned.

"I don't know…" she replied softly, clearly frustrated. "I've done all I can for the past day to fix him, but I can't tell! My original thought was that he couldn't survive- the internal damage wasn't bad enough to kill him quickly, which is why he was alive when we got to him, but it's strange… We fixed what we could but…"

"But what?" Riku asked grimly, something in his tone scaring them all (except Ally, who was only afraid of the Vampire Prince, a fact known only by Riku).

"There were two strange things in this case," Aerith announced doubtfully. "The first was that every bone in his body wasn't just broken from whatever hit him in the end of the battle- they were crushed into a fine dust… as in, unfixable. If he'd lived, we would've been… god, I don't even know!"

"Would've? What do you mean?" Kairi asked scaredly, biting back the anxiety and anger. Did she mean he was… dead?

"I mean," Aerith began hesitantly. "…his anatomy was beyond repair, but his skeletal structure began to… repair itself. Like… the dust connected together, started making itself solid again."

"…What?" Naminé asked softly, more than a little confused. Aerith just shook her head tiredly, walking off to her own room and leaving the door to Sora's room open for them. They exchanged a look, wondering exactly who would go first before Kairi stood up and walked instead in the opposite direction, to the common room. The teenagers looked after her quietly for a moment before Leon and Yuffie, the two others from Hollow Bastion intending to visit Disney Castle, headed off to their own places respectively and Goofy began on his was to the bridge to purvey the (hopefully) good news to Donald and Axel.

"Should someone speak with Miss Kairi?" Ally asked glumly, eyes still trained down the hallway.

"Yeah, someone should," Roxas began cautiously, Naminé's hand finding his for the fiftieth or so time since they returned to the grim news. Riku grunted.

"Someone should, but that someone is unconscious at the moment," he explained calmly, grabbing Ally's shoulder and pulling her back to the wall as she made to walk off. She looked to him curiously.

"Excuse me, Mister Riku, but I wish to speak to my unconscious friend for a moment and hope that my voice distracts Aros for a long enough moment to get a cheap shot in," she said sternly, shrugging him off and walking to Sora's door. She winced at the doorway, looking in on Sora's form. "My fault," she murmured, noting that Riku joined her. "He's in pain and it's my fault. I should've told him, I should've _made _him ready…"

"We both know this was bound to happen sometime," Riku replied softly, trying to reassure her. She shook her head sadly.

"No, Mister Riku… We both know this shouldn't have _ever _happened…" she said grimly. "He almost died. Twice. And the first could've been salvaged by Aros, the rest of us killed. And the second… if it were anyone else, the self-destruction of a chaser would've…" She stopped, taking a quick intake of breath at the thought. "Dissipation, Mister Riku, is not a demise I wish for."

"Why did he live?"

"He shouldn't have."

She ended the conversation there, walking to Sora's side and whispering something in his ear before she turned tail and walked out of the room. Riku glanced at the brunette sadly, ducked his head for a moment, acknowledging an unwritten code before he turned and walked after Ally.

How did things turn out like this?

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

_It's okay to miss him, you know._

Kairi shook her head, fending off the intruder. It was her own mind, why was there another voice there? It didn't sound like… no, wait, it did sound like her. Ludacris. It wasn't her, it wasn't her at all, because _she_ was her, and _she_ was wanting _it _to go away. Wasn't she? She was getting married in seven days now-

It wasn't okay to miss him.

It wasn't okay to want him.

It wasn't okay to want to be with him.

It sure as _hell _wasn't okay to _kiss _him…

But her lips tingled at the thought, and that made her want him even more. Him, lying unconscious in his room at the other side of the Gummi ship as he repaired. The guy she grew up with- her first and best friend. Her knight in shining armour, always off to save the day. She knew he was hers, and she knew he knew it too. Ownership of a person, though they both frowned upon it, was just how their world worked. She snuggled into her place on the couch in the common room, pulling her blue blanket tightly around her. She was the princess, and Sora was the knight destined to serve her.

The knight with the _very _cute smile and the extremely well-toned body, that she was not allowed to have because she was getting married. _MARRIED_. To a _duke_. A duke with a very unappealing last name, who could _never_ match the keyblade master in her opinion. Of course, that brought her back to her knight's offer of setting the duke on fire, and that gave her half the mind to accept when he woke up.

_If _he woke up.

Another idea she didn't want to think about, but couldn't just dismiss. It wasn't that easy- she was worried, anxious, angry- oh, hell, she was FURIOUS! He hadn't told her he was afflicted. He was half dark, and slipping further every day. What had they called him…?

The Vampire Prince?

He was… royal? Just like her, except still second. Still a knight. Still a keyblade bearer. Of light, nonetheless. How did that work? Was that what he'd been thinking about recently? An aversion to the light?

Come to think of it, he squinted a lot more whenever he was adjusting to the light. He tended to wince whenever a brighter light hit him. He twitched whenever she touched him, she'd burned him before… Did that mean it hurt him to be with her?

The smoke when they fought. The heat under her fingers. The burns on his skin… She was a danger to him. Was that why he distanced himself?

"He did that to everyone, actually."

The redhead raised her head at the voice, noting the black haired girl staring at her sadly with bright violet eyes, sitting in her chair at the coffee table and beginning to play against herself in chess. Kairi's mouth dropped open- she hadn't even heard Ally enter the room. Violet eyes flicked back up to her blue ones.

"Or did you not want to say that out loud?" she asked simply. Kairi stared at her curiously for a moment, not answering, and Ally shrugged, eyes focusing back on the chessboard. "Take that as a 'no', then…" she murmured, as if to put off further conversation. Slowly, Kairi got up from her place on the lounge and moved over to sit in Riku's vacant chair (a/n. Oh yes, Riku claims ownership of the armchair :). lol), dragging her thin blue blanket with her.

She huddled in the chair, pulling her knees up close to her as she tucked the blanket securely around her.

"I didn't notice past you two talking a lot," she replied softly.

"It wasn't a permanent arrangement, Miss Kairi, it was only that I know of things he wishes to learn," she murmured quietly. "Like his past, and his future. So I teach him to live in the present, and the long history he needs to know becomes compacted in time."

"How much time?" Kairi asked sullenly. Ally glanced up at her and frowned.

"However much time he has," she replied gently, eyed trailing back to her chess game, "before he gives in either way."

"Either way?"

"One cannot stay in the middle forever, Miss Kairi," she explained quietly. "You sway eventually. "Destroy or be destroyed, that's how it goes."

"Light or dark?"

"Love or dark," Ally corrected. "Light has nothing to do with it, really. You'll understand it in the end. Like the beauty of procrastination and indifference. Both will choose his fate, of course. Whether he accepts his throne or not is entirely up to him."

"Can you tell me about that?" Kairi asked distantly, her genuine curiosity diminished with Sora's absence. "His… heritage?" Ally looked up slowly, fingers still intact on the white queen piece. She hesitated, still and unmoving before she released the piece and sat up straight in her chair, eyeing the redhead curiously.

"Will you… tell him, when he awakens?" she asked testily. Kairi shook her head slightly, spirits rising slightly as she heard the in-the-know chaser say 'when' instead of 'if'.

"No. Not unless you want me to," she replied simply. Ally cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips thoughtfully. Then she nodded slightly, raised a hand to her temple and tapped the side of her head thoughtfully, trying to remember the beginning of the story.

"Well… it all started like this…"

* * *

Hehe. Sadly, the next chapter (which will be shorter, probably a LOT shorter) is only about the story of the Vampire Prince. Damn whoever got vampires stuck in my head when I was, like, six…

Well, 'till next time duckies…


	14. The Story Of The Vampire Prince

Disclaimer: …do I… have to repeat myself… again?

Third chapter I started writing without posting yet. Because I'm thinking about the story. And I'm going to read chapter twelve tomorrow before I post it, and think, 'hey, that's both lame and unlikely, but let's post it anyway'. Why? Because I don't do 'do-overs'. I'm a shitty editor too, lol…

Riku: Did you know, Roady, that I hate you for giving me a pairing?

RockCityRoadStar: yes, I knew that very well, Mister Riku. I'm evil that way…

Riku: … AGAIN WITH THE PREFIXS!!!! THEY'RE SO DAMNED ANNOYING!!! WHY DO YOU TWO USE THEM, ANYWAY!?!

RockCityRoadStar (and Ally): …It's a secret. No insecure girly men allowed.

Riku: cries You hurt my feelings…

RockCityRoadStar: I know, it was fun!

………………………………………………………………………………………

Rofl, 'I know, it was fun' is, like, my motto. I use it all the time. Anyways, on with the Riku-less (sadly) chapter!

P.S. I like Riku, I was just bashing him for fun!

* * *

**Chapter 14 (THAT'S how old I am RIGHT NOW! Not next year…)**

_It was a long time ago- seven or eight thousand years. An outer world, not really acknowledged but about as well off as any other you see. Just as rich, just as pretty. But this world was different- it's heart was clouded, half dark, half light. Not like most world with light hearts tinged with a spark of dark or the other way around. No, this world heart was split right down the middle._

_And because of that, so was the world._

_Half the world was light, it's own kingdom, housing most of the world. But like most darkness, when it found its way into the light, it strengthened. And the strengthened darkness festered in the weakening light. The citizens who forfeited to the darkness became it's soldiers, led by a powerful and terrifying mage. The citizens who didn't became ruled by the darkness, afraid and thrown into despair. This continued for hundreds of years, the people terrified into order by slaughter and destruction. Their fear for their lives, governed them._

_Then, one day, a new light was born. After hundreds of years of forfeiting to the seemingly eternal mage, one child saw the fault in the ruling. No one lives forever- even those who are reborn. As such, no one remembers everything. This boy grew older, and he began to rebel here and there, a little toe out of line here and there. By the age of fourteen he tormented the dark soldiers into frenzies and furies and not once did they catch him for it. And eventually, the mage at the time who looked remarkably like the same mage from hundreds of years before, decided to address the matter. He called a meeting, sentencing the deaths of all the people one by one until the culprit stepped forward to face his punishment._

_The boy, now nearing sixteen, didn't hesitate to step forward. He wasn't an idiot, or a smart aleck, he was the regular everyday fool. The fool who's normally destined to win. He did what his instincts told him and he stepped toward the mage, not even slightly in fear of the mage's power. He stood in front of the man shrouded in darkness and smiled. Smiled right at him with a goofy grin, and then he spoke._

"_Mister," he said simply. "The culprit of these crimes, the reason things are as they are, is you. You and your fathers before you, and the magic you used to change the people. A world split into halves of light and dark cannot be ruled by either, eventually it shall be seen. There is not place in the middle. There is no defining point. We are all people, are we not? Murdering us is like murdering your fathers, exactly why they never taught you their greatest spells. Exactly why, as time went by, your family became less and less in power- you cannot use the magic you were never taught, because that magic escaped your grasp hundreds of years ago for lack of trust. Those who rebel, rebel because they see that your ruling us is only based on the lies from so long ago. Why trust your word of power when you're the one deceiving us?"_

_The mage, of course, was not prepared for the insight through his ruse. He'd never expected to be so transparent. He fumed and he cursed, and he pulled whatever power he actually had, which was quite a lot for an almost powerless mage, into the curse he would utter._

"_Your rebellion will be lost when the light you love so abandons you to the dark you detest so much," the mage said spitefully, raising his glowing hands to the child destined for hierarchy. "You'll wish you never rose against me when you watch from the afterlife as generations after you, the first born of every generation of your direct connection, are struck by the curse you instigated against them with your loud mouth and your damned individuality. You'll watch them turn, then writhe and scream as their place in between the two ultimatums is torn from them and they become ravenous and hungry. And they'll destroy or be destroyed, the way of the natural world. Like the cowards they will be- the cowards you all are- they'll accept the darkness before they give their life. You'll _wish _you had never faced me."_

_And he cursed the boy there, falling limp and lifeless as his power left him._

_Not long after, the boy was brought into power- the people looking to him for guidance because he was the one who saved them all. He became the new strain of royalty for the light. And not long after that, his curse began to take effect. The light began to hurt him, and the dark began to heighten his senses, bringing with it a newfound tingling sensation that he wound up lusting for. He didn't want it._

_Afraid of the toll on his new life that his affliction might take, he hid it from the people he led. He grew older and married, and together they had a son. And the boy, now a man, began to fear for the child's future and what he would become. Upon revealing his affliction to his wife, she suffered a short state of denial before she accepted her husband for what he was- a good man with a bad problem. And she helped him to suppress his affliction. He lived a long time, and he and his wife kept their secret well. They told their son, and he, in turn, was brought under the curse as it left his father's being as he neared his sixteenth birthday. _

_Stronger than his father, he suppressed the curse and opted again to have children of his own. Again, the first born came under the curse, and again and again the curse restarted in the next generation, until one day, triplets were born in the place of the first born. This was an unforseen circumstance, and the curse changed it's form._

_The new circumstances were simple. Should one host decide he did not want to hold the darkness at any time, they could push it on to one of their brothers so as to escape the blame. And using this circumstance, they ruled the outer world the best._

_The three brothers- Dane, Enad, and Aden- represent three different parts. Dane was of light, a moral and righteous person- gentle and kind. Enad was of the dark- a lover of injustice; immoral and cruel- he delighted in destruction and the cunning ways he had ensured it, though he had enough self-control to stop himself whenever he wanted to. And Aden was the cross between the two- rough around the edges. He was in between the light and the dark, and chose instead not to wield the power at all. He guided the other two, strengthened them, and helped them, but not once did he resort to using the power. He saw fit to do moral things for an immoral purpose, and vice-versa, and he was smart. He watched, he listened, he guided, nothing more._

_The curse, of course, decided that after adapting to the new routine, it did not want to change back. It enjoyed watching the brothers fight, feeling their separate personalities spark emotions it had barely touched before. So it changed it's ways in the next few generations. With the probabilities of triplets being born being so low, it decided on a different course. A very different course of action._

_It incorporated the three different personalities into the on being, and watched them struggle for control. It enjoyed the show, relishing the hatred and resentment between the two ultimates while they both got along with the middle. But it hated the understanding that often came between the three alter-egos, and decided to step up the virus, making it harder to suppress and much deadlier to those around the subject. When it took hold, the being would loose all control, no matter which personality was leading it. To see the others struggling into the being position to suppress the darkness again enticed it. And eventually it came that the darkness could barely be held back by the three of them, and the part that hailed from the darkness was best in control, granting his brother personalities wishes here and there as payment for their prison in his head. _

_Unknowingly, the princes found themselves with people who could suppress the darkness for them, often meeting before the darkness began to fester. The danger seemed less, but the darkness was content. That treatment couldn't continue forever- not always would such a love spring between two beings. And not always would the circumstances stay the same while the darkness got stronger in the hosts._

_It did as it was taught to- it waited, patiently. It waited and it watched as security seemed to set into it's hosts, and their knowledge of it turned into a legend brought to mind only when they felt a particularly vicious emotion every once in a while. Until it was forgotten, and they who were destined to have it never knew even the slightest of it. It waited for it's day to come, and it was prepared to wait forever._

_It still does…_

* * *

May I bring it to your attention that words in italics take up a lot more room than words without italics?

Bored. Criminally. Well, this is a really short chapter, cause it's only on page 4 and I normally write up to, like, ten or eleven pages. My record is… FIFTEEN! I want cookies. And chocolate. I think I'll make chocolate fondue, but I'm not sure.

'Till next time duckies…


	15. Awakening

Disclaimer: …I'm up to chapter 15 and running out of funny things to write in the disclaimer… can I stop now, then?

I don't own Kingdom Hearts, a-duh!

I own the evil characters (Andre is totally OWNED by Jacob though, because he's my inspiration for the frivolous beast… hehe… frivolous…) and Ally, and this storyline and this story. THE VAMPIRE PRINCE IS MINE!!!

**Sora-Kairi-4-ever: you're kidding. I would've been thinking 'WHAT THE HELL!?!' if you didn't mention Kairi kissing Sora. Really. I mean it. Lol**

**butaNENG: lol, Naruto... And I don't quite comprehend what 'injustice withing privacy issues' means, but I'll pretend I do... Kidding, I get what you mean!**

Rather sadly, I currently only have two reviewers. As such, I would like to say... **_REVIEW MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_**

...I believe that sums it up.

On with the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 15 (WOOHOO! THIRD MULTIPLE OF FIVE HERE!!!)**

Kairi sat back in Riku's chair thoughtfully.

"That's a long time," she commented softly. Ally shrugged.

"Seven thousand years- long enough to fossilise a solar system, sure. Means I was only two thousand off, really…" she replied, turning back to her chess game and cracking her knuckles as she continued to play. "But history goes back further than that, so if that annoys you, you'd _really _enjoy my family history."

Kairi tapped her fingers on her arm conservatively, thinking hard. "So they called them the 'Vampire' Princes because the light hurts them?"

"Pretty much. They don't eat people…" Ally raised an eyebrow and shrugged again. "I don't think. I only met Simon once though, and that was when he was sixteen. He didn't seem very fang happy. Of course, I think Sora might've been a _little _bit vampiric in Halloween Town, but that probably had a little to do with the atmosphere and his costume. I hope."

"You're not very optimistic, are you?"

"Not really, no," Ally replied quickly, shaking her head. She rolled her violet eyes and quirked an eyebrow. "Optimism is overrated."

"Pessimism is overrated," Kairi retorted.

"Yeah, but I'm not being pessimistic, am I? I'm just being…" she trailed off solicitously. Then she pursed her lips as she thought of the right word before she clicked her fingers. "Realistic. I'm being realistic."

"How are you being realistic?" Kairi asked incredulously. "You're implicating that Sora's has potential as a real-life suck-your-blood vampire!" Ally looked at her simply, cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"…And you think that's impossible even though you're partaking in intergalactic space-travel with a high-tempered duck that can teach you magic and a dog that has a preference out of magical weapons, while your going to world that house various creatures from mermen through to werewolves," she said evenly, eyeing the girl curiously. Kairi sighed and slumped further down into the chair dejectedly, watching Ally put herself in checkmate before lining up the pieces again.

"Does that mean Sora's father was a Vampire Prince too?" she asked doubtfully, eyeing the chessboard boredly. Ally didn't look up.

"You'd think so, but he wasn't. His brother was," the black haired girl replied solemnly, all her hyper-activity dissipated.

"Then why's Sora got the curse?" she asked quietly. Ally frowned and looked up.

"The curse didn't want to die out lately. People slipped their façade over the past few centuries, and most of his lineage died out- normally self-inflicted too. Those who discovered they had the curse decided they didn't want it to go on. They chose to either take their own destruction, or simply have only one child. The curse, of course, didn't like this, so last generation, it made sure twins were born. One was cursed and the other was null, Sora's father. They were split up at birth, one remaining on the outer world while the other was dropped at the destiny island's and given refuge by a couple insisting the child was their own."

"What happened to the cursed one?"

"I don't know, he could be dead," Ally replied grimly. "He could still be alive out there, but I can't guarantee that his people are. And Sora's afflicted because his uncle didn't have a child, that much I know. The curse went to the next in line. As far as I know, Vasaar found no other candidates with even the thinnest blood, so it could end with Sora."

"Other candidates?"

"For the next generation. Blood is blood, no matter how thinly it's spread across the ages," she replied softly (a/n. I don't remember but I'm pretty sure it's a Harry Potter quote, lol…)

"And all this just because some _jerk _cursed a guy?"

"Yeah. And because that guy didn't just end it with himself. The mage was right back then- people are too afraid to end their lives, even if it's for the best. It's either destroy or be destroyed, and very few are moral enough to do the right thing. That's life."

"And Sora… when he finds out, what will he do?" she asked sadly, full of worry. Ally frowned, shaking her head and refusing to answer straight.

"Sora's more than just the all-around nice guy," she said slowly. "He'll take his time and rely on instinct to finish this war, I can guarantee you. But in the end, he'll go one way or the other, and I'm pretty sure we both know which path Sora will take…" Kairi sunk further into her chair for a moment, quite aware that after the past two hours of refusing to see him, she owed him at least that. She stood up slowly, hesitant. Ally glanced at her before she spoke again.

"I won't tell him what you did after he passed out, and you won't tell him what I've told you, Miss Kairi. But for the record," she said slowly, sending the Princess a solid warning, "I will never forgive you if you turn to Fernandez with high hopes and crush that boy's heart. First friend I've made in five millennia. And choosing the duke over your friend is not a wise decision when you barely know the man. You meet him in two days. Pray he's not as sour as he used to be…"

Then she turned back to her game again, waving Kairi off with a smile.

"Go see your boy. And don't get too angry while you're there- he's getting plenty of beat down without an extra burn or two," she commented.

Kairi nodded and headed for the door before she made her way down the empty hall slowly.

_Go see your boy_…

Something in that sentence was all too familiar, something that seemed right. Obvious, but right… He was hers, and Ally thought so too.

But was she talking about it the same way Kairi was?

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Sora, you're dropping your arm too far, you'll lop off your head."

Sora raised his arm a little higher again at Saor's words, blocking another shot from Aros.

"Will you _stop _with the calling him _me_!?" both Sora and Aros shouted together, clashing again and again, neither sporting anything worse than a few bruises. "I'm not him!"

"You two act _way _too alike to even slightly defend yourselves there," Saor sighed under his breath, rolling his grey eyes. His voice rose for the next comment. "The warrior poet once said 'you're not dead yet, so live like you could be'. Apply it to fighting, it's all instinct. Beat him down, Sora!"

"Remember your purpose, Aros."

That wasn't Saor, or Sora. That was an oddly familiar female voice- Ally's, echoed from hours earlier when she said it, finally getting into his head, even though, in Sora's mind, they'd only been fighting for half an hour. Aros stopped, Sora slashing at his midriff with the Oathkeeper and breaking skin. Aros hissed and slipped back into the clashing battle angrily while Saor looked around, finding a lone grey chair at his side, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah!" he exclaimed happily, sitting down to watch his brothers battle it out. "Smart girl wants her friend back, not the shadow. Ha!"

Sora rolled his eyes as Aros and him clashed blades again, infuriated by the smell of first blood. He felt exhausted, but Aros didn't seem to have tired at all and Sora found himself drawing on a power he didn't even know he had before then.

This was going to take a long, long time.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"You seen Kairi?"

"We talked about three hours ago. She went to see Sora," Ally replied distantly, staring contest with the wall now dragging on. Riku shuffled around a little before heading to his armchair and sitting down opposite her, long silver hair dropping over his eyes heavily.

"She didn't turn up," he told her simply. She shrugged.

"Then she's afraid of what she'll see. She wants him and leads herself to believe he's the one thing she can't have," Ally explained softly, dragging her eyes from the wall to her silver-haired companion. "And she's afraid that she'll hurt him because of what he is. Much why I don't quite agree with the concept of love."

"But you know what love is," Riku murmured.

"Yes, Mister Sora told me."

"Why?"

"Because I asked."

"Hn." Ally glared at him suspiciously.

"Don't grunt at me, Mister Riku! We're all on edge here and I'm not that different from the rest of you!" she exclaimed angrily. He grunted again.

"Ally, did you mean what you said before Durham self destructed?"

"…Yes… why?" she asked, again suspicious.

"Don't worry about it."

"I will worry about it as much or as little as I want, thank you _sir_," she argued stubbornly. He rolled his eyes and stood up, walking to the kitchen frustratedly, intending to find some food. Roxas and Naminé entered the room quietly soon after, curious expressions clear on their faces. Riku simply looked at them, one eyebrow raised in question before Roxas shook his head.

"It's weird. We were talking to Aerith, because she wouldn't let us see Sora again. She said there's another 'inconsistency' because he's pretty much fixed and not only does he not wake up, he keeps getting hurt again. Bruises, scratches, all that. And it's not like someone's inflicting it on him, it's like it's basically tearing _out _of him," the boy explained frantically, running his fingers through his blonde hair. Ally 'hmph'ed, gaining their attention before she raised an eyebrow herself.

"He's still fighting, Mister Roxas," she explained simply. "There's nothing that can be done- he's fighting himself for control. It's a battle he has to win himself."

"So we can't do anything?" Naminé asked eagerly. Ally shook her head sadly.

"The most we can do is wait," she said grimly. "Kairi could probably weaken Aros for him, but that's still just a long shot. And she won't go near him, so either way, it's really just a guess."

"I hope she at least tries, then…" Riku murmured softly.

They all did.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Someone's getting ti-i-i-i-i-ired," Aros taunted in a sing-song voice. By this time, Sora had figured that Aros's roaring voice was only for when he wanted to annoy the hell out of Sora in reality. Like his version of crunk (a/n. crunk is screamo. Hahaha.).

Sora grunted, ignoring his taunts. He wasn't winning, he was in pain. But he was determined not to lose. Something was starting to change, though. Aros's natural dark was lowering from the high flames to a simmer, so slowly that he didn't seem to notice. And he was slowing down just that tiny bit.

Sora smiled slightly, sitting up from his position on the ground.

"Whatchya smiling for, brother?" Aros taunted. "You smiling cause that girlfriend of yours is gonna get what's coming to her when I'm in your place?"

"Huh?"

"Y'know, the redhead- feisty and pretty damn beautiful. I'll do what you couldn't, take her into a room and-"

"Don't even _think _of finishing that statement," Sora cut him off, deathly serious and with a flare of anger as he stood up and the Oathkeeper appeared back in his hand quickly. "And don't bring her into this." Aros blinked before he smiled cruelly.

"Ooh- I struck a nerve!" he hissed, baring the Oblivion keyblade fiercely. "Like I was saying, that girl's gonna scr-"

"I said _shut up_!" Sora shouted, tackling Aros with renewed vigour, discarding his keyblade and using his fists instead to turn his brother's face to a pulp while Saor watched curiously. He smiled.

"Oh, I _so _pity her fiancé."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

Aerith opened the door for her slowly, shedding a small light on the dark room. Kairi's cobalt eyes scanned the room quietly as she muttered a thanks to Aerith. It'd been three days now. Three days of unconsciousness and her being unable to face him. And in three hours or so they'd be landing at Disney Castle and she'd be meeting her fiancé, so she had to see him. She'd hidden in her room for three days, afraid. But what was she so afraid of?

I'm not ready to let him go… 

Five days until her wedding- boy, that'd gone fast. And she couldn't just leave him like that, not when she didn't want him to leave in the first place. That'd be more than just a little hypocritical. And she didn't want to imagine what Ally would do if Sora took offence…

I will never forgive you if you turn to Fernandez with high hopes and crush that boy's heart…

Crush his heart? How? (a/n. lol, Kairi's so blind…)

Her eyes trailed over to the bed and the motionless body lying there. Her fingers lingered on the doorframe hesitantly. She'd come this far, she couldn't wimp out now. She tapped the metal frame once more before finally taking a step into the room, towards Sora. She took a breath and walked the rest of the way, stopping beside Sora quietly. She reached out for his hand slowly as her eyes scanned over his face. Roxas had meant what he said- he'd gotten worse in the past three days, gashes and bruises appearing over his face and arms. Donald had apparently healed him the day before, using so much energy he still hadn't gotten out of bed, and Aerith's healing skills had been worn down after the first day too, so very little could be done. He was healing on his own, but still sporting injuries.

She sat down beside him quietly, staring at his face sadly for a moment, before she reached out her hand to trace the lines on his face with her fingers. She ran her fingertips over a scar healing over his eye, much like Leon's, noting a split lip and a cut appearing down the side of his face even as she watched. She frowned, leaning forward to inspect it as the blood dripped unhurriedly down the side of his face.

"What's wrong with you…?" she murmured softly, concerned and pleading for an answer. "Why haven't you woken up yet…?" His brow twitched slightly as she said it, as if he were in pain before she realised he was. He writhed beside her as, unknown to her, he made his transition from his mind to his consciousness. Concerned and alert, Kairi pressed him back down on the mattress, forcing his shoulders down as he thrashed around.

He, of course, was having one hell of a time bashing off Aros's feeble attempts to drag him back into his head (feeble doesn't particularly mean it didn't hurt, remember that). With one last kick to his other's face, the surface rose to meet him and he woke with a gasp as he struggled for air. His eyes flicked open and met Kairi's concerned cobalt gaze. Without the slightest hesitation, he sat up and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close as he buried his face in her shoulder. She was quiet and confused, but her arms slipped around his neck slowly as she realised he was crying.

"Shh…" she cooed softly in his ear, not quite understanding why he clung to her- he never had before. Like he was scared or something. Not that she minded being wrapped in his muscular arms or anything; she just wondered what would make him act like that. "Which one of you am I with here?" she asked softly, feeling him tense around her and move back slightly so she could see his face. He smiled and pressed his forehead against hers after he quickly rubbed his tears away.

"Sora, silly. Who else?" She rolled her eyes and frowned disapprovingly, but let him hug her again. She felt warmer by the moment. "How long was I out?" he asked slowly, raising a hand to the blood on his face. "And ouch…"

She pushed him back a little and fixed him with a look at he stared at his bloodied fingers.

"Three days. And you got both Donald and Aerith really tired with all your new problems. You'll have to fix yourself," she said softly, sneaking another look at his face. "Why do you have a black eye now?" He winced slightly, remembering a particularly hard punch in retaliation to his tackle moments before connecting with his eye. He grinned slightly, trying to figure out if he had enough energy to fix himself up.

"I pack a _really _hard punch?" he questioned in reply (a/n. answering questions with questions… so annoying, but everyone does it anyway). He murmured a cure spell, noticing his slightly blurry vision clearing up. Then he sniffed and moved to get up, ignoring Kairi's concerned and disapproving gaze. He got to his feet slowly, almost immediately getting hit by a wave of dizziness. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back down quickly, slapped his arm and pushed him back on the bed behind her.

"No getting up for you, Mister. We need to talk," she said. He groaned.

"So you're allowed to change the subject when it concerns you, but I'm not?"

"Yep, pretty much," she agreed simply, patting on his shoulder as he tried to sit up again. "Now you stay down here and tell me why you didn't tell me." He sighed and slumped back in his three-day-old mattress ditch, one arm wrapping around her waist playfully and pulling her down beside him. "Sora…" she whined as her back hit the mattress beside him and he started tickling her. "C'mon Sora," she started, trying not to laugh. "Be serious."

He stopped, propping himself up on his elbows and watching her curiously.

"Three days, you say?" he asked inquiringly. She nodded and he frowned. "Five day left… I don't _want _to be serious." Kairi pouted and he rolled his eyes, lying back down beside her. He grabbed her right hand gently, drawing on her palm with his fingers boredly. "I didn't want to tell you."

"Why not?"

"I didn't want you to worry."

"Oh, well that worked absolutely _great_, didn't it?" she retorted sarcastically. He sighed and dropped her hand, staring blankly at the roof.

"It's not exactly something you can just come out with, Kairi," he argued dismally. "What was I supposed to do- walk up to you and say 'hey, guess what- I'm a half-formed creature of darkness and your natural light is killing me'? No thank you."

"But you told Riku," she replied a little angrily. He shook his head in response.

"Riku knew. He looked at me the second he found me hurt at Disney Castle and he knew, didn't ask or anything," Sora told her softly, trying to divert her anger. "And Ally knew because she started on the other side, while Roxas told Naminé and he knew because he was a part of me when it started."

"So really, everyone knew except me?" she asked quietly. She was pissed, he could feel it- hear it in her voice. He took her hand and intertwined their fingers, ignoring her stubborn tensing as he did so.

"No. Donald and Goofy didn't know. Anyone that wasn't with us didn't know," he said simply, not caring that she squeezed his hand with the intent of crushing it (hey, she wasn't that strong to him). "'Sides, I think you knew anyways…"

"How'd you figure that?"

"You said I was acting different, remember?"

"Well you _were_ acting different."

"So were you," he retorted sharply.

"Touché," she murmured acceptingly, moving to lay her head on his shoulder. He laughed for a moment before she sat up. "Now, after three days I'd imagine you're hungry and we're landing in about three hours-"

"I need to talk to Ally," he said, cutting her off as he sat up beside her. "Saor said some stuff…" _Oh, I _so _pity her fiancé…_ Sora smiled. "So food will have to wait… Uh… are you meeting what's-his-face today?"

She giggled. "Yes."

"Guess your lessons start tomorrow, then," he mused, standing up (slowly this time- remember Ally's list, people!). She looked at him curiously.

"Lessons?" he laughed and pulled her up by the hand, shaking his head.

"Said you wanted to learn magic, remember?"

She paused for a moment, then nodded. He just grinned and led her to the door, glancing back as her fingers intertwined with his and she matched his pace, walking beside him.

She was happy to have her Sora back.

* * *

Well this concludes my fifteenth chapter on page nine. Mushy- bleargh! But I love Saor, he's a funny guy. And Aros is on occasion- rest of the time he's just a rude pain in the ass. Wouldn't be the same if he wasn't.

Toodles- 'Till next time, Duckies!

P.S. Cookies to my reviewers, and extra cookies to butaNENG, my fabulous drawer (dude, you rock just because you're drawing for me.)

P.S.S. Listen to 'The Classic Crime' or I will formulate an evil plan against you with my trusty sidekicks! MUAHAHAHAHA!

P.S.S.S. Review or the same thing goes, my duckies!!!!


	16. An Interesting Breakfast

Disclaimer: …I went through this over the past fifteen chapters. If you don't get it now, you never will- I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!!!

Riku: She's right, she doesn't.

Me: … -.- Shut up, Mister Riku…

I would like to delight you all with the fact that, no, I have not yet seen Alvin and the Chipmunks, but I do intend to go see it in the next week before school and dump a bucket of popcorn on Josh's head. Wow. One week left of holidays. That went quick…

* * *

**I'm no genius in maths, but I do believe this is chapter 16!**

"…and that's basically why you are what you are," Ally finished quickly, out of breath from repeating the story in under ten minutes. Sora cocked his head to the side, taking the black haired girl's appearance in for a moment as she winced.

"Hn."

"That's it? No questions, nothing?" she asked dramatically, clearly disappointed by his reaction. "Just a grunt?" He nodded and she raked at her face with her hand. "I swear, you're turning into Mister Riku more and more every day…" He grinned.

"Speaking of Riku, I overheard your conversation before the Heartless army deteriorated," he taunted casually. Kairi looked up with intrigue at the comment while Ally's brow twitched curiously. "He annoys everyone that way, don't worry about it," he told her lamely, watching her grin.

"I don't. Did I tell you he's been doing the washing for the past few days?" Ally asked. Sora laughed and Kairi's mouth dropped open as she gaped.

"He _has_?" she asked loudly. "I was actually _awake_ and I didn't know that." Ally laughed.

"Yes, well, the events in your room must have been much more interesting than the dismal conversation out here. Everyone was so grim, Mister Sora," she explained. "No interesting conversation or anything. It was lethargic."

"Prefix," he corrected, gaining a roll of her eyes in reply. "It gets boring. And miserable. That's my job. But I thought you were kidding when you said you'd have him doing the laundry in no time."

"I often joke, I do not kid," she told him. "But I wasn't joking, I was cutting a deal. Mister Claus and Mister Skellington were very worried about you when you passed out, Sora, I do hope you know. They said you were hysterical- and not in a good way."

"You passed out?" Kairi asked curiously, listening to their conversation intently and refusing to be out-of-the-know. Ally nodded and Sora's eyes trailed down towards the chessboard awkwardly as he went to move another piece.

"I was… overloading, I think. Seemed to happen a lot lately," he said slowly. Ally replied to his move quickly.

"Mister Roxas was in pain when you refused your treatment before we met. He said the dark was receding though, some time after it was awoken. The overloads won't happen too often anymore, you just have to keep yourself under control," she explained softly. He frowned. "That means anger treatment, Mister Sora."

"Prefix."

"_Blast!_" she replied angrily. "It's a habit, sir, and it isn't that damned easy to stop using!" He sniggered.

"Fine, use the prefix. But you'll be using no prefix's on my name after one month, am I clear?"

"Vaguely."

"Ally," he warned. She rolled her eyes.

"_Crystal_ clear, _Mister_ Sora," she replied sarcastically, shrugging it off. Kairi giggled as he made a face.

"I think I got why you use them though," he relented softly, watching her look up quickly at the statement. She raised an eyebrow. "You despise us or you respect us, but you rule them both under the same prefixes." She thought about it for a moment before she nodded slightly.

"I guess so," she refrained quietly, indifferently moving another piece on the chessboard. "When did you get it, might I ask, Mister Sora?"

"When I saw Vasaar."

"You saw Mister Vasaar?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In my head," he told her simply. She nodded.

"You are a visionary," she agreed thoughtfully. He grinned.

"Yes, well, I was fighting Durham and Vasaar decided to taunt me," he said, and Ally nodded with an exasperated roll of her eyes.

"Yes, he does that."

"Hmm… Well, that got me thinking about how he didn't do a thing himself, and then this image came up in my head. And then I started to think of him with a cross between pity and disgust."

"Ooh, I often feel that too."

"Figures."

Ally laughed and shook her head. "You got me again, Mister Sora," she said, indicating to the chessboard. "I'm in checkmate."

"I do believe that is two-zero," he murmured, standing up while Riku walked into the common room moodily, eyes alighting on Sora curiously for a moment before he walked up and stared him straight in the face. Sora quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm awake, yes, I beat Ally at chess… twice… Now who wants hot chocolate?"

Riku grunted.

"Me-e-e-e-e!" Ally sang.

"How many people are on board, exactly?" Sora asked curiously as he bypassed Riku and made his way to the kitchen, Kairi following him to the counter. She pulled up a stool at the breakfast bar, watching as he made his familiar preparations. She noted him pulling out a fry pan among other things to add to his normal utensils. She cocked her head to the side, watching as he pulled out his normal hot chocolate ingredients as well as what looked like the elements of… _pancakes_…

"Twelve. Including you and me," she said thoughtfully. He stood there for a moment, musing (really calculating just how much batter he would need). "Surely you don't intend to-"

"Oh, it's roughly six in the morning while everyone's awake _somewhere _on this metal heap, and I should probably repay everyone for looking after me for the last three days while I tried to kill myself- and don't think of it as suicide, it was more like attempted murder," he said quickly, cutting her off. "I _intend _to cook, Miss Kairi. Would you care to join me?"

"As long as you refrain from the prefixes, Mister Sora," she told him comically as he pulled twelve mugs and plates from various cupboards and retrieved more ingredients from the pantry and the fridge. She stood up once he'd lit the stove. He grinned.

"Gladly."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Donald, do you smell… hot chocolate?" Axel asked doubtfully, staring out of the Gummi ship window at the stars. He and Donald both snapped around to face each other only a moment after the words left his mouth. Before goofy knew it, they were both rushing for the door to the corridor hungrily, mouths watering and insults being thrown back and forth as they met the dilemma of the doorway being too small to fit them both through.

"It's _mine_, beakface!"

"Oh, go back to your disorganised organization, ya lummox!"

"It's Axel to you, Duckbeak! A-X-E-L! Got it memorised?"

Goofy laughed as they continued their rant, standing up from his seat slowly and brushing himself off. He made sure his hat was on straight and picked up the scent of pancakes wafting through the air vents and came to the comforting realisation that Sora had, in fact, woken up.

"Autopilot, boys," he reminded them, watching as they both froze in their places and instead tried to back out of the doorway. They succeeded, landing sprawled on the hard metal floor of the bridge, and Goofy walked past them at a leisurely pace as the went back to their seats angrily, commencing to turn on auto-pilot and still baffling him with their endless flow of taunts and insult. He shook his head with a 'hyuck' and continued down the hallways, meeting Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie at various places along the way, on edge by the wondrous smell of hot chocolate and pancakes.

Each time he simply looked at them and said "Sora's awake" before continuing on his way to breakfast, with a new companion in tow. They would then ask "is he any _good _at cooking?" to which he would reply "why yes! He picked up a few things over the past year or so" and then continue on.

He saw Roxas and Naminé walk out ahead of him at one point, running off to the common room with no more than a wave at those behind them. The ruckus of Axel and Donald trying to fit through the doorway again (rather stubbornly) reached his ears again after a few minutes, and he couldn't help but smile his trademark Goofy smile and 'hyuck' once or twice as he thought of all of the friends he'd made.

He marvelled.

They were all strange.

They were all different.

But he wouldn't have them any other way.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

(a/n. this is my a/n space. I like it. I own it. It is MINE!!! MINE I TELL YOU!!! …

…

…sorry, I had an evil author moment there. It happens whenever I write something particularly mushy, like the Goofy view point. I normally delete it. But not this time. This time I'm warning you- I don't normally write that many things like the Goofy viewpoint, I just felt like it, so if you don't like it, go jump into a pool of boiling lava. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

This brings an end to my evil author segment, thank you…)

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

There was a slight pounding of footsteps before Roxas and Naminé rocketed into the room, hand in hand. They looked a little out of it, and a lot excited to see Sora, but he noted that the two things were definitely _not _connected. He grinned and murmured under his breath, turning back to his concoctions on the stove.

"Twitterpaited…"

Kairi glanced at him curiously as she made the pancakes and he shook his head slightly with a grin.

"No, what'd you say?" she persisted curiously. He smiled lightly.

"Don't worry, Kai," he said, shrugging it off. He frowned, glancing at Ally, who was having an intent staring contest with Riku again and greeting Roxas and Naminé at the same time. "Hey, Ally?"

"Hmm?" She replied wordlessly. He stirred the hot chocolate thoughtfully, remembering.

"You ever heard of the warrior poet?" he asked distantly, thoughts roaming to his time with his brothers (a/n. I'm calling them brother because That's. What. They. Are. HA! They're three different people that just happen to look, act, and sound alike. But not too much. And share the same body). Ally frowned, facing Riku testily.

"Not in this life," she replied softly. "But it sounds familiar. You should ask the king. Why?"

"Saor mentioned it," he explained simply, noticing Kairi glance at him warily. He cocked his head to the side as he turned and leant on the counter quietly, looking at Ally curiously. "He said 'the warrior poet once said "you're not dead yet, so live like you could be". Then he told me that I should apply it to my battle technique too." Ally smiled as he said it, clearly unnerving Riku.

"Mister Sora, he was telling you to be reckless," she informed wittily. He grinned. "Was Mister Saor an interesting fellow?"

"Interesting's one way to put it," Sora told her slowly. "He was enjoyable company, anyway. Until Aros gave him a retort here and there- then they'd start fighting like there was no tomorrow."

"And Aros?"

"Nicer than expected," Sora commented. "He had a sense of humour. And a hard punch. But he ran his mouth a lot and brought someone into the fight he shouldn't've. And I won because of that."

"Bet he was kicking himself," Roxas said softly, a little more understanding of the conversation than the others (who were pretty damn understanding anyways). Sora frowned.

"Please don't bring that up again, it was a traumatizing conversation the first time around," he murmured, thinking along different lines.

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked suspiciously. Sora shrugged, turning back to his hot chocolate on the stove and stirring it again.

"He's me, I'm him, we're both Saor, and we're all each other," he rattled off quickly, earning a questioning glance from Roxas, Kairi, and her other. He shrugged again. "Why I didn't want it brought up. Now try that with your eyes closed and see if you can figure out who's who." He laughed as he realised they were all at least a little confused, except for Ally- and Riku, who probably hadn't been listening.

"Any other words of wisdom from Mister Independence?" Ally asked interestedly. He shook his head, which she must have seen from the corner of her violet eyes that were trained solely on Riku's green irises, because she didn't ask again. The door opened again and Goofy walked in, followed closely by the three residents of Radiant Gardens, looking inquiringly to the kitchen area.

"Morning all," Sora greeted cheerily, looking over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to his pot and consenting to pour the liquid chocolate into mugs.

"Sora, are you sure you should be up?" Leon asked doubtfully as Sora put the pot back down on the stove. He lifted a hand and waved the question off quickly.

"Certain. My comfortable three-day-straight mattress ditch got rather uncomfortable when I woke up and tried to punch a hole through the wall. I couldn't go back to sleep if I tried, and I have as of yet to make my room interesting, so here I am," he said quickly, deciding to help Kairi with the pancakes. "Making breakfast. And if you don't like pancakes and hot chocolate then it's MINE because I haven't eaten in three days. _Three days_, Leon. Do you know what that can do to a kid's stomach?"

"At least it didn't do anything to your brain," Leon commented rudely. Sora grinned as he began to dish out the pancakes.

"Damn straight," Yuffie agreed, taking advantage of the boy's light-hearted humour that morning. "So long as he isn't walking around all air-headed and high-and-mighty, calling himself a 'man' or a 'hero', we'll all live."

"That's junior hero," Sora and Goofy corrected simultaneously, hiding their hilarity.

"Go look out the window if you don't believe us," Sora replied with a smirk. "We own our own constellation, beat that."

"You have a constellation?" Kairi asked uncertainly, not as disbelieving as the Restoration Committee. Sora grinned.

"Yeah. A gift from Hercules' dad. And I believe we're honorary pirates, too, courtesy of Captain Jack Sparrow," he explained softly, placing the frypan back on the stove too and leaving it for someone else to clean later (a/n. I do that too, lol). "Radiant Gardens Restoration Committee Honorary Member," he added thoughtfully.

"Of course," Aerith agreed, voicing it for the three other members.

"Honorary member of Simba's Pride…" he included after some contemplation. "Come to think of it, we get a lot of the 'honoraries' here."

"I claim honorary evil convert," Ally put in loudly, causing Sora to laugh while Kairi giggled beside him and Goofy chuckled subtly. "I believe that spot isn't yet taken."

"Unless you count Riku," Roxas pointed out.

"Psssh! Mister Riku wasn't evil! He was misguided," she said, somewhat sympathetically. Said boy blinked as she said it. "AHA! I WIN, MISTER RIKU!" she exclaimed, beginning her little victory dance where she sat, purposely infuriating Riku. "Plus, he was more of a good-converted-evil convert. So, yes, no one has my new honorary position."

"Except your brother," Sora objected loudly, picking up his plate of pancakes (now covered in syrup) and his mug of hot chocolate and heading towards his couch. Ally thought for a moment before she pouted slightly.

"Well, I don't mind sharing the title with _him_, but technically it's not the same, Mister Sora, because chasers aren't evil, they are used. And I believe he's actually faking all of his directed evil deeds, thus not actually doing anything wrong. Therefore, not an evil convert. Honorary on the fence spy, maybe, but not honorary evil convert."

"If you say so, Ally," he relented, half laughing and half sighing as Kairi sat beside him with her own breakfast and everyone else started to get theirs. Axel and Donald entered the room, clearly having gotten out of their doorway dilemma, and made a beeline for the breakfast counter in all it's glory. They glanced at Sora simultaneously and jumped (also simultaneously), both shouting.

"Sora! You're awake!"

"Roxas the second! Aww, man, I thought you were dead! Thank that tall Aerith babe you're still alive."

Sora raised his eyebrow.

"O-o-oka-a-ay… I'm going to choose to ignore that quirk about 'Roxas the second'- I was alive before him, Axel, get it memorised. And second, Axel, stop harassing women, it's a bad career choice."

"Especially when they've got really buff friends in the room with you," Yuffie added playfully, indicating at Leon, who was currently sipping at his mug of hot chocolate.

"I agree with that statement," he murmured after he was finished, his voice low and his tone slightly threatening, causing Aerith to giggle. Sora and Kairi exchanged a glance as Axel tried to defend himself and Donald decided to be the bad guy and dig him a deeper grave, Ally began to play chess with Riku again, soon to become a repetitive and annoying habit if they weren't careful, Roxas and Naminé slipped out of the room quietly with their food, and Goofy sat down to watch the proceedings. Sora laughed.

"I've never had such an interesting breakfast."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

They landed in the Gummi ship bay, Disney Castle just outside the ship's slowly opening hatch. Sora watched it slowly, waiting for the door to open a little nervously, wondering what would happen there over the next five days. He felt someone take his hand and pull him away from the hatch quietly, into the corridor a little away.

"Kairi, what're you doing?" he asked curiously, obeying her pressure. She glanced back at him for a second before leading him a little further away. Then she turned to him and stared for a second, before she answered.

"I want to talk."

"About?" he encouraged softly. She looked sad, he could tell. Before he knew it, she was pressed against his chest, her arms tight around his waist. He staggered back a step on impact before he put his arms around her loosely, waiting for her to explain herself. A few moments passed before he began to think it was even just a little pointless, but then she started to talk.

"Did you ever think it'd turn out like this?" she asked him quietly, voice slightly muffled. He looked down at her curiously.

"With you getting married at fifteen and me being the prince of darkness?" he asked, mildly sarcastic. He felt her laugh slightly. "No, I'd imagine not." She tightened her grip around him for a moment, causing him to chuckle. "I'm right here, Kairi."

"But you won't always be," she retorted sadly. "Not even a far future thing, either. More of a five day thing." He traced on her back quietly, thinking of what to say to that.

"Kairi… Fernandez can't make you do anything- be more assertive and make him let you come with us," he bargained quietly. "And if you can't- break his nose and run." She let out a soft giggle. "But like I told you last time we talked about this- if he gives you any problems, tell me and I'll do something about it. Tell the king, and he'll do something. And if he doesn't, tell me and I'll make him do something about it." She giggled again and snuggled into his chest further.

"You'd threaten the king?" she question, laughing.

"I… uh… did it before…"

She looked up, moving back away from him a little. She cocked her head to the side and examined his face, making him cringe.

"Really?"

"Really. Before I got shot," he told her, eyes wandering away from her. "We had a huge row and Donald was more concerned about me speaking out of line than anything, which was kind of strange…"

"And what was this argument about, _exactly_?" she asked suspiciously. He reached up and scratched the back of his head in his trademark pose, still avoiding her gaze.

"It was about… uh… _you_, actually…" he stuttered, really, really quietly.

"…_me_?" she asked. "You yelled at the king about _me_?"

"You're making me feel guilty here, Kairi. If you'd stopped three minutes ago I wouldn't be feeling guilty…" he told her, finally looking up to see her smiling at him. She pulled him back into a tight hug, silencing him with her tightened grip. "Kairi…" he laughed warily. "What are you doing?"

"Asserting myself," she replied mockingly. "I want to hug you, and therefore I _am _hugging you."

"Aww, now you've got me feeling all warm inside," he joked softly. They were silent for a moment before she voiced what he was suspicious of.

"We can't do this anymore, you know," she told him, again regaining her sense of sadness. "The hugging and the closeness… all stupid protocol and whatnot."

"Sure, blame the protocol. Admit it, you don't want to hug me."

"Why would I not want to hug you?"

"You tell me, you're the one who doesn't want to hug me," he said cryptically. She laughed.

"But we have to have a strict business relationship around Fernandez, you know that," she complained, feeling him tighten his embrace around her. "And he won't let us talk much, you know…"

"I know, Kairi. But I'll tell you now- I have no duty, nor any intention, of doing what this guy wants. Only what you and the king do."

"And the other six princesses," she corrected smugly. He laughed.

"Yeah, but I don't talk to them much, do I?"

"…I guess not," she relented softly. "Thank you Sora…"

"For what?"

"Being you," she told him, getting lost in his warmth, still oblivious to her treating his darkness, even as she spoke. "And everything you've done for me. Even when you're off world and I'm stuck with my soon to be husband, you'll still have something up your sleeve to help me. You always have. And thanks for not breaking your promise- you haven't changed that much."

"I got a new haircut," he told her.

"But you're still you. And you always will be all-around nice guy Sora with a good sense of humour at a bad time and a tendency to run off on adventures every once in a while." He sighed and shook his head.

"I hope you're right."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Aaah! There you two are!" King Mickey greeted happily as the keyblade master and the princess exited the Gummi ship slowly. He conveniently overlooked the fact that the two of them had been delayed while he chatted with everyone else. Apparently, he and Ally had an extremely intriguing conversation involving a lot of things the rest of them hadn't understood, resulting in a few headaches here and there and the mouse and the black-haired girl coming to a mutual agreement on some whole other level.

Riku didn't look very happy about the one creature that had been his closest friend and companion for quite some time actually being so close to his rival (whom he hated to admit he kind of liked). She beat him at _everything_. Of course, she didn't, but she had yet to correct him because she liked to watch him squirm.

Roxas and Naminé were having their own discussion a little away, and _god _didn't even know where Axel disappeared to. Donald and Goofy had disappeared off to see their respective loved ones (one Miss Daisy Duck and one Mister Max Goof- Goofy's son that Sora still had as of yet to be informed of). Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie had been led away with assurances from the king that he would speak to them as soon as possible, but he did have some other business to attend to first.

Mostly concerning Sora.

"Princess, Sora," his majesty greeted happily. "Tonight the two of you will attend a formal event." Sora raised an eyebrow.

"Formal… event…" he repeated testily. "What formal event would that be?"

"It's a… uh… dance," Mickey replied awkwardly. Sora frowned.

"And why am _I _going?" he asked a little frustratedly, noticing how the king shot him wary looks, almost afraid.

"That's what we need to talk about, Sora," he said simply. Sora nodded, realising the implication. The king waved the others off, telling them that he'd talk to them later and that they had almost free reign of the castle. Then he led Sora to the library quietly, obviously with quite a list of things to discuss.

* * *

Funny thing- I had writers block for the entire chapter 15 except for the Saor, Aros and Sora scenes, but then I came to chapter 16 and I sped through it. Like, _really_ sped through it.

Uh… see the little button? See the button? Press it. You know you want to…

'Till next time, Duckies.


	17. Headlights

Okay, this is chapter seventeen, so I'm not even going to _bother _with telling you all that I DON'T OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!!!

Woops, I just did…

Anyways, just for the hell of it, I'll encourage you to realise I don't own the song 'Headlights' by 'The Classic Crime' either.

**okiegirlforever: you caught me, they were lyrics, lol. Uh, hot chocolate is my calling, DEAL! jks...**

**Sora-Kairi-4-ever: BLAST! I'm back to school next Thursday, so updates may take a while. Uhm... pancakes are awesome to the max. I delight in giving people cravings for my favourite foods... MUAHAHAHAHA!**

**RikuLover211: you reviewed about absolutely _nothing_... I respect you for that... :)**

ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

**Chapter 17… 1-plus-7-equals-8… hahaha, maybe I do have potential as a maths genius… jks…**

"So, Sora, I think you know what we need to talk about," his majesty the king probed tentatively. Sora frowned, sitting further back in his chair as he stared across the desk at the king. Then he opted to play the most infuriating card any one person can own- expecting silence. Mickey frowned slightly and glanced at the boy warily, confirming his suspicions- the king was afraid.

At the same time as his unnerving of the king was a rather unnerving feat in itself, he found that he actually kind of… _liked _it. Making the ruler of the worlds fear him- it wasn't something just anyone could do.

"Like, perhaps, your lineage?" the king offered quietly. Sora didn't bite. "Or maybe you want to know who you are…?" The brunette cocked his head to the side, and gritted his teeth curiously.

"To be honest, your majesty," he began softly. "I'm much more interested in why you're… _afraid_ of me. I didn't shout _that _much last time."

"I'm not afraid of you, Sora," Mickey defended quickly. The Keyblade Master chuckled.

"At the moment, that's like saying you aren't the king. Or that you weren't fuming when we thought Goofy was dead," Sora argued quietly. "It's so apparently obvious that it's kind of offensive to hear you deny it, your majesty." He leant forward in his chair a little, clasping his hands with his elbows on his knees. "And I can't help but wonder if the fact that my lineage kicked in before I was sixteen possibly unnerved you. I was actually quite amazed that Riku noticed it the second he saw me that day, but you didn't notice until you were told."

"Riku knows?"

"Riku, Ally, Kairi, Roxas, Naminé," he ticked off quietly. "But it's all strange, because Kairi was the last to know only because she was persistent, Riku was in tune with it from past experience, Ally came from the people who decided to wake it up early, and Roxas told Naminé after he was brought out of it. It doesn't affect him anymore."

"Do Donald and Goofy know?" the king asked weakly, clearly not expecting everyone to know about the knight's affliction. Sora shrugged.

"I don't think so. But they might," he said indifferently. "Do _you_ want to tell them, or should I?" The king shook his head, trying to regain his composure.

"I will," he said feebly. "But how did you find out about everything in the past week and a half?" Sora shrugged.

"Ally," he replied simply, watching the king curiously.

"She had no right to tell you."

"On the contrary, your highness," Sora replied slowly. "It was _my_ lineage and _my_ affliction- she had every right to tell me and I had every right to know. As such, she stuck to practise and only told me things when she knew I was ready to hear them. She tested me- wouldn't have said a thing about my family history if I hadn't spoken to Saor."

The king sat up straighter, eyes downcast. "Are you angry with me for not telling you?" Sora shook his head.

"I was. But I'm not. This game is all about strategic moves, and your not telling me was probably the best move at the time," he explained. "Whereas Ally and I lead by example, though often reckless and impulsive. We do what we do when we do it, and that's how it goes."

"It's not a game, Sora. It's a war."

"There isn't a difference, your majesty. Forgive me for being out of line here, but it's the truth. It's all just one move countered by another with a sacrificial lamb here and there," he said. "What's chess but a miniature version of a war? It doesn't matter if there are pieces left over at the end of the game- the side with the king remaining is the side that wins."

"Jack and Santa were right," the king said disappointedly. "You aren't looking at this right anymore. You've gone through something traumatising and need to recover, Sora, so I'm keeping you here for the next two weeks."

"I can't let you do that, your majesty," Sora replied calmly, ignoring the mouse's look of disbelief. "Stars are going out even as we speak. Regardless of what you think my mental state may or may not be, I have to do my job. After these five days, of course."

"You're going to defy me?"

"No, I'm going to reject your latest order and stick to your first. I'm going to do my job as a keyblade wielder, with or without your consent, sir. And I'll continue to see this war the way I have been because that's what it is. You'll see that one day, your majesty," he said. "But maybe this view comes from the twilight."

"You've made up your mind, then?" Mickey asked defeatedly. Sora nodded, and Mickey sighed. "Then I can't keep you here, can I?"

"Not in the slightest," Sora agreed plainly. Mickey nodded.

"Five days then," he announced dismally. Sora frowned.

"Now, about this dance… why am I going?" he asked warily.

"This dance is for princes and princesses, kings and queens, and other royal persons and nobles. So as you would generally attend as the King's knight-"

"-and princesses' knight," he added quickly.

"Yes, and princesses' knight, and generally just as the keyblade master, also, we need you to attend as the prince of your father's home world."

"Which is?"

"Arranathia. It's an outer world that was conflicted, as you should know. Recently, though, any reports from that world have at least fallen short, but there's a suspicion…" the king trailed off.

"The reports aren't being made," Sora finished for him. "My father died seven years ago, your majesty. I've been told that my uncle was the afflicted one, left on his home world. It's more than just _possible _that my uncle couldn't suppress his affliction, in which case everyone," he paused, considering his word choice, "would be dead."

"Dismal prospect…" the king mused. "We'll see later, I suppose. For tonight I would like you to visit the fairies for a formal change of clothing. Also, Donald has informed me that you are actually quite the performer and we've scheduled for you to sing."

"_WHAT!?!_"

The king cringed as Sora stood up, fuming. He laughed as the brunette headed for the door, hands flaring with red fire every few seconds. The large door started to swing closed behind him slowly and his voice could be heard ringing across the entire castle as his flames lit up the marble walls repetitively. Mickey chuckled as the boy's words came back to him.

"Oh, that duck is _so_ dead!"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Riku, what're you doing tonight?" Kairi asked curiously as she brushed through her hair quietly. She'd already been fitted into a stunning light blue dress the same hue as her eyes that went about half way past her knees. She was about to curl her hair, and a thin silver chain was around her neck, a blue crystal pendant connected to it. She was in her room talking with Riku and Ally, who looked very bored and was staring blankly at the wall.

"Mister Riku is planning on spending the evening in a staring contest," she said simply. Kairi laughed.

"Who's his opponent?" she asked sarcastically.

"The wall," Ally replied softly, looking around at her. "Or possibly Mister Roxas. We aren't allowed near the ballroom tonight. His majesty thinks we'll make too much noise, but I fully intend to hear Mister Sora-"

"Ally…" Riku warned blankly, cutting her off. "It's supposed to be a surprise." Ally snorted.

"If it were going to be such a surprise, he shouldn't have hunted Mister Donald down this morning with fire at his fingertips. I believe the duck's tail feathers have been permanently singed," she laughed. Kairi looked at both of them curiously.

"What's a surprise?" she asked, earning awkward glances from both of her companions. Ally glanced at Riku uncomfortably.

"Well if we told you," she said slowly. "It wouldn't be a surprise. You'll just have to wait until you see Mister Donald's singed tail feathers before you think of it, Miss Kairi."

There was a silence before a serene looking Riku grunted with a hint of hilarity. Both girls shot him questioning looks before he explained himself. He smiled smugly, unnerving the both of them.

"Sora has to wear a bow-tie."

They burst out laughing.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

Sora pushed the cabinet door closed, toothbrush in his other hand. He spat out the minty foam and washed the brush and the remains of the foam from his mouth before looking up in the mirror of the cabinet. His eyes narrowed as he saw the duck by the door in the reflection, dressed in his formal outfit.

"Mister _Duck_," Sora acknowledged spitefully. Donald recoiled at the tone.

"Oh, come on, Sora," he replied unhappily. "Let it go! I didn't mean to tell the king that you could sing, he made me write out full reports of what we did on our adventures, and that included Atlantica." Sora just grumbled in reply, trying to fix his tie around his neck.

"You burnt my behind already!" the duck continued. "Forgive me-e-e-e!"

"If I'd had my way you'd be makin' like a fried chicken," Sora growled angrily. "Served up on a big silver platter for lunch."

"I'm not a chicken, Sora," he retorted frustratedly. "I'm a duck."

"On the contrary," Sora argued. "You're a funky, funky chicken." He grinned his genuine goofy grin. "You're forgiven if you can fix my tie- I can't tie it. At all. Not even a little." Donald laughed as Sora turned around and consented to crouch so the duck could reach his tie.

"What are you going to sing, anyway?" the duck asked curiously as he pulled at the younger boy's bow tie.

"I was thinking about that," Sora stated, noticing as Goofy entered his rooms. He waved the dog over quickly before returning his attention to the duck. "And I decided to steal Ally's mp3 again. Because I don't care how formal it is, I'm not singing some stupid structured thing. I'm singing something I had to memorise this afternoon that I've never heard of before, but the musicians here can play quite well anyway."

"And what would that be?" Donald asked sternly. Sora stuck his tongue out as he stood up straight, bow tie tied quite well around his neck. Goofy laughed, his own formal gear seeming out of place in Sora's eyes, for he was used to their battle gear.

"You'll just have to wait and find out."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

For a guy near ten years older, he wasn't that bad looking. Fernandez was a tall man, about the height of Xehanort's heartless, with short dark brown, almost black, hair. His eyes were a startlingly pale blue and facial hair not unlike that of Andre's, but she'd only seen him once from a distance, and didn't quite make the connection. His voice had an element to it that didn't quite suit him- it was silky smooth and oh so persuading, like that of a professional business salesman. She didn't like it one bit. As the evening progressed, he'd slid past the small talk and managed to force a reluctant Kairi into discussion of what she would like the wedding to be like.

He was outgoing, and didn't take no for an answer, and that put Kairi on edge. It wasn't even like he talked her around whenever she said 'that doesn't sound like something I'd like' or 'no, I think I'd rather…' It was simply as if he didn't even hear her. And it was annoying. Apart from that, he hadn't seemed too bad- offering to get her a drink, and asking her to dance. She'd rejected the offer by cutting in with a 'oh, look, I should go talk to…' and leaving him standing annoyed while she spoke with one person or another, keeping herself occupied. Sadly, she'd had as of yet to see the Keyblade Master, but she kept an eye open.

"Princess, shouldn't you be getting to know your fiancé?"

She turned around, meeting the eyes of a very sympathetic duck with Daisy on his arm. She grinned sheepishly before her façade slipped and she groaned. "He wants me to dance and I don't want to," she explained softly, half in a whining voice. Donald laughed, allowing Daisy to reply for him.

"Say no then, darling," she explained softly. Kairi winced.

"I did. Quite a few times," she replied exasperatedly. "He won't take no for an answer. Honestly, it's like anything of the type converts to 'certainly' in his pea-brain. I _so _don't want to marry this guy…" She sighed before she walked off to talk to someone else. Daisy made a disapproving noise before voicing the same concern Ally had made clear over the previous few weeks.

"Poor girl… Now if only they'd read over the marriage clause themselves sometime soon…"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

Sora stared at the open doors angrily and turned to kick the wall, again leaving a dent in the marble wall, much to his own curiosity. He stared at the hole dumbly before he got even more frustrated and kicked it again.

"You should probably stop doing that- you'll ruin your shoes," someone told him. He turned around to see Ally sitting on the railing of the floor boredly, looking over her shoulder at him before she frowned and looked back out to the courtyard.

"Aren't you supposed to not be here?" he asked cryptically walking up beside her and leaning on the marble railing. She nodded again, looking at all the flowers lit up in the moonlight as she pulled a slingshot out of the pocket on the left leg of her black cargos. She clipped open one of the pouches at her belt before dragging out some small rocks to use as ammunition.

"Yes, I'm supposed to not be here," she confirmed. "But I got bored. Mister Riku was being rather unsociable." Sora chuckled.

"He does that. But I don't think that's the reason," he said suspiciously. She grinned. "You're here to hear me sing, aren't you?"

"No," she denied playfully. "I'm here to _listen _to you sing. I could probably _hear_ you singing from outside my room, but since I actually want to _listen _to you singing one of my favourite songs and grasp the concept of exactly _how _you sing it, I actually have to listen."

"Ah. I see. There's a difference between listening and hearing," he said. "I agree, but the king wouldn't grasp the concept." Ally nodded.

"I know. He's not lateral enough," she said distantly. "Mice don't seem to make very good visionaries. That's why he doesn't understand the concept of our games here." Sora grinned.

"A matter of dispute between you two?"

"Yeah, pretty much," she replied simply. He laughed. "Like whether or not you should continue destroying his castle with your physical anger. He thinks you should stop- but I fully support you as long as you don't ruin your shoes. So go- kill the wall!"

"Heh," he started. "Seems to happen a lot lately. I don't know why."

"It's because you're angry," she explained quietly, taking aim with her slingshot. She let the little rock fly, targeting a thin sculpture down in the courtyard, it's hedge hand stretched out to point suspiciously at the hedge sculpture of a dog. There was a short whistling sound before Sora saw the hedge finger split from the sculpture and fall to the ground. He made a face at it.

"Nice aim," he commented. She laughed.

"I was going for it's head, Mister Sora," she told him, slightly disappointed. "I'm just a little out of practice."

"You can't take off a head with a tiny rock and a slingshot, Ally."

"Watch me."

And she raised the slingshot again, reloaded, and aimed again for the hedge sculpture, letting the tiny stone fly. Again, there was a short whistling sound before there was a thud and the Head of the sculpture rolled off it's body at the neck. He laughed.

"Way to prove me wrong," he murmured.

"You said you were a visionary, Mister Sora," she told him. "That means keeping an open-mind. Nothing's impossible and there's no such a thing as 'can't'. Learn it, live it."

"You forgot the 'love it' part," he reminded her, making her shake her head.

"Why would I say something stupid like that? The world sucks- why would I tell you to love it?" she asked. He smiled.

"Because every once in a while we want to love the world," he said softly. "Like those of the people who aren't supposed to turn into some dark incarnate on their sixteenth birthday."

"Ah, that's why you're breaking walls," she said. "It's your birthday soon. So even before they woke up your others, the power was giving you symptoms. But only when you were angry."

"Why only then?" he asked confusedly.

"It likes it when you're angry. But your birthday's close. How close, exactly?" she questioned curiously. He frowned and his eyes fell to his hands.

"It seems everyone's forgotten- but it's real close," he explained quietly, hearing someone call him from the doorway to the ballroom for his cue. He pushed himself off the railing, glancing at Ally as he moved past her before he answered her directly, heading to the ballroom. His answer made her feel both sad and angry, immediately setting her onto what she was best at- evil plotting.

"Five days, close."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

The music started again, this time a little different. Sad music, a slow version of fast (a/n. bands I listen to have their own league of slow music, so there!). Kairi immediately checked around to make sure that Fernandez wasn't around anywhere close- she was in no mood to think of another rapid escape manoeuvre. In fact, her list of REMs was running dangerously low. Glad that he wasn't near her, she found an empty table and moved to take a seat, all in the space of only a few moments. Of course, then the most wonderful voice met her ears- that of the singer.

_A summers drive away from dying  
__A broken heart nothing to lose.  
__I know it hurts so bad just trying  
__To please the ones you hate to love._

She looked up curiously, wondering just who this guy was. Her eyes met the stage and she examined the figure thoughtfully.

_And I wrote this note  
__About someone I used to know_

He was looking off to the side curiously as if listening to someone talking to him from over there. He shrugged as she watched and turned back to the front, still singing solidly into the microphone, flicking his brown fringe out of his eyes as he stared at the floor..

_So I'd remember how  
__Life can be so short  
__When your left alone to wonder  
How it is someone opens and shuts the door._

He was wearing formal gear like the rest of them, black pants and blazer, bow tie and white dress shirt, but with a black vest underneath. He looked about Sora's height, and his frame was strikingly familiar, clearly with quite an attractive physique. He sung beautifully, hitting the high notes and the low note alike and keeping perfectly in time with the drum beat and the guitar.

_I know your cold but come home.  
It's a shame how short we all have come._

"He sounds sad," someone said near her. She glanced over to see Belle dancing with the beast slowly, both of them looking to the stage as the boy waited for the next verse.

"When we met last time he was fine- normal cheery self with his two companions," the beast replied softly. "Perhaps we should ask him later…"

_You set your mind on cruise control  
__Knuckles grip the wheel in fear to let it go_

She looked back to the boy, noting his brown hair and familiar fringe, and when he glanced up from the patch of ground he was staring at bashfully she saw his deep cerulean eyes- eyes she couldn't forget even if she tried.

_Love is empty, love is cruel,  
__Love it blindly breaks the rules.  
How could you have been a fool?  
It's something all of us go through._

It was Sora. Singing. But that couldn't be right- the Keyblade Master didn't sing!

…did he?

_You choke back tears and swallow lies  
__But those wiper blades won't fix you eyes,  
Count on having clouded vision for at least a little while._

And yet, all evidence to the contrary- there he was, standing in front of all the nobles invited from worlds far and wide, singing. Perhaps it was another little detail he forgot to mention, like the fact that he had his own _constellation_. Of course, how the boy forgot something like _that _was a mystery to her. She smiled.

_And I know you're cold but come home  
__It's a shame how short we all have come.  
And I know you're cold but come home.  
Please don't face the headlights of the oncoming cars along_

He did sound sad though. And the lyrics themselves were sad. In fact, compared to the Sora she knew so well, his absolutely gorgeous voice sounded absolutely miserable. Something in the song was getting to him, possibly not the song- the day. There was something important about that day, she knew. There was a few things important for that _week, _but she didn't quite remember what those things were.

_We wont forget the past.  
We wont forget the past.  
__And I know you're cold_

He looked straight up at her, eyes connecting with hers quickly. He looked a little confused as he did it, probably wondering how he found her so easy through the crowd of fifty or sixty people. Then he smiled a little, not even starting to turn away.

_Say all the answers and I will let you go  
I won't look back  
and I won't look back.  
Say all the answers  
and I will let you go.  
I will let you go.  
I will let you go_

They had a moment then, eyes trained only on each other and with him singing. Somehow she knew he was singing to her. She smiled slightly, blushing lightly before he looked away again, glancing somewhere a little to her right. Subtly, he made a sign with his fingers, making her look to her right to see a slowly approaching Fernandez slipping through the crowd. She stood up and hurried off in the other direction, hiding from him near the door.

_Say all the answers and I will let you go  
I won't look back  
I won't look back.  
Say all the answers and I will let you go  
I will let you go  
__I will let you go._

Sora was almost done and she glanced back to him, catching his eye for a second as he nodded at her, sending her a silent message of 'we can go in a minute'.

_Come home  
Please don't face the headlights of the oncoming cars along  
and I will let you go…_

The music stopped entirely and the dancers stopped to clap for him. He grinned and bowed once before he was off the stage in a flash, leaving them all wondering exactly where he'd gone. Of course, before anyone could find him, he was out the door with Kairi and they were both walking off hurriedly, attempting to leave the party behind.

They almost succeeded.

* * *

Rofl. I just love that song, y'all should listen to it.

Bored. Bored, bored, bored. I needed to introduce Ferny, though, so I used this chapter. Some very interesting stuff there. Like Sora's birthday, yeh? What a good day for the twitterpaited fool. Lol.

So, uh, 'till next time duckies.


	18. Return Of The Dark Haired Chaser

Disclaimer: Again, I must remind you that I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Nor will I ever.

I noticed I have about two hundred hits on my first chapter and then it goes down to about thirty something by now. Out of those thirty something people, I have a maximum of three reviewers. I choose to advise you that everyone who doesn't review me is officially LAME! So there :P

**butaNENG: I wouldn't slap you. and you weren't lying by saying you were finished- you were _specifying details_**. S**o there... Also, I have an obsession with the song, so I kind of put it in the chapter randomly...**

**RikuLover211: Hooray. But not about the screwed up internet, lol...**

**okiegirlforever: rofl, totally on top of the chapter. See, then there's me, who doesn't ever listen to the songs other people write at the start of the chapter because it bores me waiting for them to load. I have school tomorrow- first day of year nine, 's all good... So updating may be a BIT slower, but I already have three forward chapters to put up whenever I feel like it, so meh.**

**Sora-Kairi-4-ever: I _think _your review got cut off. Whatever was after the word 'now' I didn't get. Haha. Do you think Ferny should die?**

WARNING: **FERNANDEZ AHEAD!**

* * *

…**I don't believe it- Chapter 18…**

"Where are you two going?"

They both froze, annoyed expressions on their faces, and winced. There was no mistaking the King's voice, and Kairi could feel Fernandez's cold presence without even turning to look at him. Slowly, both Sora and Kairi spun on the spot to face the King awkwardly. The mouse looked at them both expectantly, but also with half a pleading expression, begging for them to have a good excuse. Sora noted this and decided it had to do with the presence of Kairi's fiancé.

He glanced at the man in his dress suit, his jacket having a penguin tail. That had been his first impression, after all- the 'ball' was just a gathering of the penguins…

"Senior Lucius," he greeted dryly (a/n. you know the Spanish _senior_, as in _mister_). Then he turned back to the king. "Your majesty. The princess felt ill, so I offered to escort her to her room." The king nodded with the slight hint of a smile as the words were said, a perfectly believable excuse.

"Ah, but if she were feeling ill, should she not have told myself, her _fiancé_," the duke inquired loudly, trying to unnerve the young prince. Sora examined the man's face curiously, freezing momentarily at his resemblance to the young chaser from Halloween Town. He turned his head to the side slightly.

"Perhaps," he replied. "But the princess did not, implying she did not want to." The duke's face flared up in anger and Sora grinned warmly, ignoring it. "As such, it would make a good example for a man such as yourself to respect her lady's wishes, especially in front of so many people." Fernandez wore an expression suggesting he could kill at that moment, and was it just Kairi or was the king _smirking_? More than that, it seemed that the king was struggling not to _laugh. _

"I guess…" Fernandez began coldly. "I must agree with you, Master Sora." Sora smiled at the acknowledgement.

"It's _Prince _Sora, actually," he corrected loudly, causing the duke to turn red. Kairi put her hand over her mouth as she struggled not to laugh at her friend milking the moment for all that it was worth.

"Hailing from Arranathia," the king added quietly, clearly wanting his fill of embarrassing the duke. Sora smiled serenely, looking past the two of them to see a few people looking out the door of the ballroom curiously.

"Your pardon, Senior Lucius," he said. "But it seems you two have some mingling to do, and the Princess and I have some discussion to get to."

Fernandez was bright red, his lips pressed so tightly together that all they could see of his mouth was a thin, straight line. The king nodded.

"Lucius, they've justified themselves, as you asked," the mouse announced calmly. He nodded at the two of them. "You may go." The two islanders turned on their heels again and began to walk again, smirks plastered on their faces. The king had also turned to head back to the ball, leaving a very angry Fernandez to look after his slowly moving away fiancé. He stepped after her furiously and Sora turned as he did so, looking over his shoulder disapprovingly. He frowned.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he advised softly, watching the man freeze. Their eyes connected for a moment, a challenge being issued between the two of them. Fernandez recoiled slightly as he noted a fierce gleam in the boy's eyes, daring him to try to come after the two of them. He shook his head and turned back to the ballroom slowly.

"Sora, enough with the manly challenges," Kairi hissed when Fernandez was far enough away. She tugged on his collar, pulling him along for a minute. He grinned.

"But that's all the fun, Kai," he explained cheerily. She grinned, letting go of his shirt.

"Did you see the king?" she asked lightly, almost laughing. "I swear, he was almost laughing!" Sora chuckled, pulling off his jacket and trying to untie the black bow tie around his neck. "And nice save with the sick thing there."

"Who was saving?" he questioned loudly, looking up. "I naturally assumed that guy was making you sick." She laughed, watching as he fumbled with his bow tie. She rolled her eyes and pushed his hands away, untying it for him.

"You really have no luck with these things at all, do you?"

"It's all Donald's magical bow tying skills. It's horrible- been choking me all night," he explained frustratedly. "You try singing while your struggling for breath." She giggled as he spoke, the black cloth now entirely undone around his neck. She was shivering in the cool night air, and he glanced at her before handing her his jacket quickly. Knowing better than to argue, she slipped into it, almost immediately warming up. She glanced at him, noting that the formal look suited him better without the jacket- just the vest and the long sleeved shirt.

"You never told me you can sing," she stated softly. He glanced at her and frowned.

"I had a reason for that, too," he replied with a frown. "I only did it today because Donald told the King, and the king made me."

"Ah, so that's why you tried to set him on fire." He nodded, not even trying to feign innocence. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you're a good singer." He grinned and shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no, it doesn't," he laughed. She rolled her eyes.

"You sounded sad when you were singing," she told him. "Belle and the beast thought so too. Why?" She watched curiously as his eyes dropped to the floor and he kicked at the ground boredly.

"Dad died seven years ago today," he said quietly. She stopped, grabbing his shoulder and dragging him to a halt. She spun him on the spot, trying to make him look at her.

"You didn't tell me…" she murmured quietly, hands on his shoulders. He continued to stare at the ground. "I remember you never came to school on these days," she stated, pulling him into a hug. "We wound up in your room all afternoon watching movies and making sure you felt better. Why didn't you tell us today?" She felt him tense for a moment before his hands found their way around her waist. He was quiet for a moment longer before he replied.

"…It's just… not my week…" he responded softly, his voice containing a slight croak to it.

"You two left early."

Sora grinned over Kairi's shoulder at the silver-haired boy staring at them. Kairi giggled and whispered in his ear.

"They always turn up at the wrong moments, don't they?" He chuckled and let go of her, waiting as she stepped away and turned to Riku. "It was Fernandez's fault. He's way too demanding for his own good- and Sora totally destroyed him."

"With the king's help," Sora murmured loudly. Riku raised an eyebrow.

"He had tails on you two, you know?" he stated. They exchanged a look of astonishment.

"Had?" Sora asked curiously. "May I ask what happened to these two tails?"

"Hn."

"They had an accident with flying pebbles." Sora turned around to see Ally walking towards them from the other direction. She flashed him an evil grin as he remembered her aim with the slingshot earlier. He raised an eyebrow in question. "Don't worry, they're just knocked out, no severs or anything…"

"You don't look too happy about the fact," he noted wryly. She frowned.

"I think you know why, Mister Sora," she replied softly, staring at the ground as she walked past him. "As you've met Fernandez, you would understand, even if only a little…"

"Are they related?" he asked distastefully, watching her frown in response. She shrugged indifferently, neither implying that he was correct or otherwise.

"What do you mean 'severs'?" Kairi asked suspiciously, ignoring the rest of their short conversation. Ally grinned and Sora snorted.

"Let's just say… you don't want to be on the receiving end of Ally's slingshot," he explained divertingly. "But he's putting tails on us- that's a little more than just demanding."

"He's just a control freak," Ally said indifferently. Sora raised an eyebrow and caught her gaze. She smiled knowingly and tapped her forehead. "Mister Sora, you've already begun making the connection, you have to think about it yourself. I'm here to guide you, not draw you a map." Sora pouted.

"Why not draw me a map? Write me out a list of instructions or something- or tell me what the big secret is with the marriage clause that everyone seems so hesitant to tell," he complained. She shook her head.

"Can't draw you a map, can't write you instructions, because you see, Mister Sora," she replied slowly. "I can't read, I can't write, and on top of that- I can't swim, I can't dance, and I don't know karate. Face it, I'm never going to make it." She turned and started to walk off slowly, jumping onto the railing that looked over the courtyard quickly to balance on the marble banister.

"Wait… you can't read?" Sora asked loudly, almost shouting so his voice could reach her as she moved away. She raised a hand without turning around to wave him off, implying that the detail didn't matter. He frowned as she kept going, balance on the railing until she reached a pillar in her way. They heard a shout from below as she stood stock-still and stared downwards curiously. She glanced back at Sora with a grin, her staff appearing in hand before she stepped off the railing and dropped quickly down to the courtyard, a resounding _thock _of wood on wood attracting their attention.

"Okay, what just happened?" Kairi asked curiously, watching as Sora smirked slightly. He broke out in his goofy grin.

"There's every possibility that was the gardener," he explained quietly, moving to the banister interestedly. He glanced down at the courtyard quickly as the clashes continued before he smiled cheerily and the Oathkeeper appeared in his hand. "We have a visitor," he announced slowly before he too threw himself over the banister. Kairi and Riku walked up to the railing themselves, leaning over to watch curiously.

"They never give us warning, do they?" the auburn haired girl asked slowly, almost complaining. Riku stared boredly at the happenings below.

"Hn."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

_**Crash!**_

Max Goof looked up from his reading desk curiously as the door burst open, hinges falling apart so whatever was left of the wooden doors hung awkwardly from the door frame. The sawdust and flying splinters of the broken wood cleared up quickly to reveal a formally fitted boy of around sixteen standing up slowly from the wreckage of the chair he'd crushed on impact. He staggered a little as he stood up, glanced at the young dog boy with a cheesy grin as a white keyblade appeared in his hand.

"Uh… sorry for the intrusion," he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. Max stared open mouthed, clearly surprised that someone had just been thrown through his door. "Uh… you _might _want to blame it on a guy called Andre…" He made an awkward face and headed boldly out through the broken doorframe. "YOU DON'T THROW PEOPLE THROUGH DOORS, BUD!" the brown haired boy shouted as he left, leaving Max to contemplate the sudden resumption of the clashing of keyblades outside.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Why – are – you – _here_!?" Ally shouted, punctuating every word with a smack of her staff to the man's back. He howled, stumbling away from her quickly to fall to the ground facing his supposed partner.

"Christian!" he hissed. "You're supposed to be attacking her!" The blonde man sitting cross-legged opposite him cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" he asked childishly, crossing his arms. Andre's eyes widened at the word before his back arched in pain as Ally's staff was brought down on his jacket again with force. He yelped, watching as Sora walked over to sit beside Christian happily. He reached out with his keyblade and whacked Andre on the side of his head with the flat of the blade.

"Do you have a brain between those ears of yours?" he asked curiously, dead serious. Christian cocked his head at the dark eyed chaser thoughtfully before turning to Sora quickly.

"That matter has yet to be disclosed," he explained simply. Andre gaped before Ally stood on his back painfully, making him snarl in agony again. She leaned forward to see part of his face as his head turned upwards to view her. She discarded her staff and clasped her hands behind her back, pressing her shoes into his back as painfully as possible.

"So," she started again. "Andy." He hissed as he realised she was going to insult him with pet names and wasn't going to move. "Why'd Mister Vasaar send you here?" Andre pressed his lips together stubbornly, causing Ally to frown. Sora was fooling around with the buttons to his vest now.

"Ally, are you familiar with the five forms of torture?" he asked slowly, looking up to her curiously as Andre kept with his stubborn silence. She frowned and shook her head.

"Might you remind me, Mister Sora?" she asked fakely, smiling sweetly at the thought while Sora glared meaningfully at Andre. "I seem to have forgotten."

"Blunt, sharp, hot, cold, and sound," he rattled off quickly, flashing Andre an evil grin as the twenty-four year old paled. Christian put a hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention. He shook his head and frowned.

"Not yet," he advised softly. "Knock him out, tie him up, and give him to the king."

"Hurrah!" Sora agreed softly. He stood up in the night air, watching as Andre struggled not to inhale flowers. He frowned. "Why does he not like flowers and yet have them on his keyblade?" he asked loudly. Ally glanced at him, pulling a thin cable out of one of her pockets while she stood in between Andre's shoulder blades stiffly.

"Andy actually likes flowers, Mister Sora," she said matter-of-factly. "He doesn't like being beaten by girls. Or their friends."

"Ah."

"Plus, his keyblade is actually rather strong- made from happy memories," she said. "It was mine, but I prefer Shades of Grey to any of them, really."

"Other people can use our keychains?" Sora asked dumbly. It was Ally's turn to frown.

"Mister Sora… Mister Riku stole your keyblade before- in Hollow Bastion," she pointed out, crouching on her former acquaintance's back with surprising balance. She grabbed his arms, circling the cable around his wrists tightly despite his struggling while she continued to speak. "You don't need to have the strongest heart, it only has to be strong enough."

"Why do chasers have keyblades?"

"No idea, they just do," she replied boredly. Christian grunted, rolling his eyes.

"Even chasers have hearts, guys," he explained mockingly. "They're just… inactive." Sora grinned guiltily and Ally blinked.

"I… have a… _heart_?" she asked incredulously, jumping off Andre's back and leaving him face down in the garden courtyard, hands tied behind him. She frowned. "Exactly _when _were you planning on telling me this, Mister Ashley?" Christian raised an eyebrow at the use of his surname.

"You didn't know you had a heart?"

"Oh, well, I don't know," she replied sarcastically. "In between killing people and being repetitively reborn for being a mass murderer among other things, I kind of forgot I _ever _had one." She scratched the side of her head dumbly. Sora was staring at Andre, looking troubled as the two siblings argued about whether or not Ally did, in fact, have a heart.

"Can you guys _stop_?" he asked loudly, watching the two of them cut off mid-sentence and stare at him curiously. He grinned his unique goofy grin. "I don't intend to touch him, so I'm wondering which one of you is taking him to the king." Ally took several conspicuous steps away from the dark-haired chaser and Christian rolled his eyes, grabbing Andre's tied arms and lifting him up of the ground with one hand. Sora raised an eyebrow as the blonde haired man moved away, Andre being shoved forward by him aggressively. He fell into step beside Ally about ten metres behind the two older boys and waved subtly at Riku and Kairi still watching from the banisters as the four of them headed off to the king's currently empty quarters. He glanced at Ally and struggled not to smile, catching her attention. She raised an eyebrow in question, slightly doubtful. He grinned.

"And you said your brother was no fun…"

* * *

I didn't know how to end it. I'm going to have a long next chapter, methinks. Because…. I want to get to the wedding scene already. So the next chapter WON'T be battley, it'll be explanatory. Geez, I'm using smart words here…

'Till next time duckies…


	19. Round One: The Marriage Clause

…Hi.

So. I am… counting down days until school starts. Four left RIGHT NOW! Not when I post the chapter, I tell you, while I'm WRITING this. Uhm… this is chapter nineteen. In my six weeks of holidays (and I started this story in week 2, I'm so proud :) -).

I'm going into year nine (i have music class) and I only started playing guitar last year. My god, I'm screwed. Lol.

My wonderful reviewers (not in order of preference, just the order they reviewed in on my e-mail for last chapter... COOKIES FOR ALL!)

RikuLover211: Yeah, I think it was lacking too. But it WAS chapter eighteen and I probably finished it at, like, eleven at night, so I was tired. Bugger- I'll go to bed but I don't get to sleep for another four hours. Haha!

RoxasTheOther: It was in an episode of Angel. And yes, I watch it every Friday night- because I like sci-fi and I'm not ashamed to say so! lol...

okiegirlforever: rofl. I think I ended it lamely. And the twitching with excitement at the update? I'm complimented. But, a little advice- don't twitch too much infront of people. I had this cooking teacher once who... uh, maybe not the best time, hey? Lol, jks. Let's just say our group got the whole year (at least) calling this teacher 'Twitch' for the rest of the year...

butaNENG: I know. Ally has a heart- so surprising, isn't it? Ripping off Fernandez and your brothers in the same sentence- I like you! Hehe. I insult people regularly, it's a calling. How are you going with that picture?

Zeromaru Chaos Mode: Rofl, I still consider myself a newb, nineteen chapters doesn't change that. But you're awesome. I grant you cookies. And I shall read your fic. If you outclass Ally, I'm gonna send _you _a massive fist shaking too. There you go, lol. Outclass Andre all you like, though (haha!). You what? rofl, your review only said 'I'. Really, I'm serious, there was one letter.

Sora-Kairi-4-ever: cries you didn't review my last chapter. But you still get a cookie... why's that? Because you were my very first reviewer... Or... my second. But still! With me since the start. Awesomeness ensues.

**WARNING: ****MORE FERNANDEZ AHEAD**

On with the chappie!

* * *

**Chapter nine-**_**teeeeeeeeeeeeeen!**_** Uh, **_**yes **_**I'm singing the chapter number!**

Sora was waking up, albeit slowly. To be absolutely honest, he was unsure of whether or not he'd actually gone to sleep in the first place. He believed it to be quite possible that he'd actually just hovered in the state of half consciousness for the past twelve hours. It passed quickly- he knew. But he didn't remember actually falling asleep in the first place, just laying in the dark with his half-closed eyes trained on the white roof metres above him.

Most of the rooms of Disney Castle unnerved him- cavernous with high-placed ceilings. They were empty and giant, but they were filled with a certain warmth. At the same time as he hated the openness and the emptiness, he found somewhere in his mind that he didn't mind the emptiness at all. It scared him that his own dark side was slowly taking him over- not Aros or Saor, _him._

He understood now.

Aros and Saor were their own people, with their own opinions and outlooks. They were there to guide him and strengthen him- so that if he was overcome by his darkness, he could have help. The only help he couldn't kill. If he chose darkness, Aros would advise him. If he chose resistance, Saor would advise him. It was that simple.

He sat up and sniffed the air. It tasted boring. Not grey- grey was distasteful to say the least, although it wasn't quite disgusting. No, today Disney Castle tasted like vanilla. Simple, boring, everyday _vanilla_. He threw his legs of the side of the mattress, standing up in the lavishly decorated room. He scratched the side of his nose thoughtfully, recalling the events of the night before. He and Kairi had left the dance at about ten thirty, meeting Riku and Ally fifteen odd minutes later. He and Ally had met with Andre and Christian for a half hour after that, bringing them to the king's empty quarters at about eleven-thirty.

They'd waited for the party to end for an hour, the king taking another half hour to get there himself. He'd granted Minnie his apologies and dragged the foursome to the not-so-known about dungeon of Disney Castle- as clean and bright as the rest of the place. Andre was tied up there on his very own chair at one-fifteen in the morning. He was knocked out, and the others went off to bed after a short explanation from Christian, to get to bed at two in the morning.

Okay, maybe twelve hours of sleep was an understatement.

In fact, with the way he was going, he would be lucky to get ready before dinner. He didn't have a watch or clock, or any specific view of the sun to tell the time by. He could just… taste it. It was roughly five-thirty in the afternoon. He'd have to exhaust himself quickly if he didn't want to be a full on creature of the night by the next day.

He sighed, searching groggily for his boots at the side of his bed. He pulled them on slowly under his normal pants (which for some unknown reason he wore to bed). He frowned as he realised his clip of key chains was missing, dismissing it quickly from his only half-awake mind. He ruffled his hair tiredly and stood up, walking to the large closet in the room and opening the door unhurriedly. The huge wardrobe was wasted, housing only a sad few garments. He grunted a laugh as he saw it's contents- the sight always made him laugh. He grabbed out a white t-shirt, changing out of his grey one quickly before he glanced curiously at his new formal outfit, already slightly banged up from the fight the night before.

He grinned at the thought.

_Formalities don't fit me_, he thought dully, a small smile playing on his lips. He frowned thoughtfully as he realised his normal jacket was being 'repaired' (it wasn't _his _fault that he often got attacked by members of the other parties). Of course, he had several pairs of pants, thankfully, but the jacket was one of a kind. He shrugged, reaching for his vest indifferently and pulling it on over his shirt. He closed the wardrobe door softly, moving then to the covered windows and pulling back the velvet curtains from the huge windowpane. He made a sickened face as he neared the cloth.

Too rich for his taste. The castle life was beat by the island life, and the island life was beat by his own. Rough, clear, and obvious- hack here, slice there, _oh look_- there's a bossman. Blindside that guy, beat _him _to a pulp, and pretend you don't feel a thing- no remorse, no pain. There you go, adventure. Chase it, don't slow down to think about a thing, and as Ally said- _MUSH!_

He sighed, looking out the window curiously as the sun began to set. It wasn't the same as at home. If he could call it home, of course. They'd gone home to open arms, sure. But he and Riku knew it in their hearts, clear as day- they were outcasts, no longer quite as welcome. It was a silent truth. The islands were a place to eat, sleep, and speak with friends and family. But they were no longer home.

He scowled. "I have _really _got to stop thinking," he murmured defeatedly, raking boredly at his face and turning for the door. There was a knock as he moved towards it and he cocked his head to the side as he got closer. He moved to unlock it uncertainly, pulling the door open with a doubtful expression before he was pushed aside by an auburn haired beauty and her black-haired female companion.

"Oka-a-a-ay," Kairi started quickly. "It's five-thirty and we need your opinion on something." Sora raised an eyebrow curiously, squinting through tired eyes. Ally glanced at him dully and pushed the door closed with a shake of her head.

"Are you… sure you two are… i-in the right room?" he asked hesitantly, struggling not to yawn. Ally moved to sit down on the side of his bed while Kairi whirled around to look at him quickly, one eyebrow raised.

"Ye-e-es," she replied slowly. "I want your opinion on Ally's fashion sense." She stared at her tiredly, disbelieving.

"Sure you're not looking for Na-" he yawned tiredly and cut off his sentence while he did so, shuffling over to the bed apathetically. "Naminé," he finished dully. He saw her shake her head quickly before he fell forward on to the bed, face lost in the scrunched up blanket beside Ally. The black haired girl glanced at him curiously. Then she reached out and poked him in the back. He grumbled incoherently, voice muffled by the covers.

"Say again?" Kairi asked loudly. He lifted his head slightly, looking at Ally sleepily. He yawned again.

"I said," he started, taking a breath, "I only just got up- leave me alone." Then he crashed back into his mattress again, ignoring the two of them happily. Ally and Kairi both stared at him incredulously for a few moments before Kairi moved to lay down on his other side, one hand on his back as she talked into his ear quietly.

"You stay up too late," she giggled softly. He grunted, hands clasped behind his head. He scratched the back of his neck distantly, cold shivers being sent up his spine as he felt her fingers tracing on his back boredly. "Ally told me you three got to bed at two in the morning," she murmured quietly. "But you've been sleeping for fifteen and a half hours and you're still feel tired?" He rolled his head to the side to look at her drowsily and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't feel too good," he replied simply. She frowned, pushing him over slightly.

"Well get _up_, then," she said a little louder, moving off the mattress quickly as Ally watched the two of them sceptically. Sora crashed into the bedding for another moment before he turned himself over with another grunt and sat up to see what Kairi was doing.

"…Why do you want my opinion," he started boredly, "on Ally's fashion sense?" He looked at the black haired girl beside him doubtfully watching her shrug in reply.

"Don't ask me- she dragged me here," she replied boredly. Sora raised an eyebrow and turned his head back to Kairi, who glared quickly at Ally.

"I did not _drag _you here," she retorted quickly. "I asked you nicely." Ally rolled her eyes, then said under her breath so only Sora would hear "sure- if asking nicely is threatening me with a total makeover…" He snorted quietly and turned back to Kairi again. He grinned.

"Again, what am I supposed to be doing?" he asked. Kairi rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and indicated to Ally.

"What do you think of Ally's fashion sense?" the redhead asked pointedly. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"And again, why are you asking _me_ this?" he retorted doubtfully. Kairi tapped him on the side of the head.

"You're a guy," she said simply.

"Way to state the obvious," he replied slowly, wondering what her point was.

"Yes, well," she begun, her eyes lighting up cruelly. He frowned.

"Not this again," he groaned, shooting Ally a reproachful look. "I'd run if I were you," he told her quickly. "She's going to try and get Riku to like you." Ally snorted disbelievingly.

"Mister Riku wouldn't be my friend if his life depended on it," she scoffed loudly. Kairi grinned evilly and Sora sighed, laying back down on the bed sadly.

"She's not talking about friends- she's talking about _love_," he explained dismally. Ally stared at the ground for a moment, confused.

"Uh… oh, right. Like you and-" He hit her on the arm angrily, cutting her off quickly.

"Shut _up_," he hissed quickly, groaning as he realised Kairi's interest had already been spiked. He smashed his head on the wall repetitively, waiting for someone to talk. Ally laughed suddenly, obviously having thought through the situation, the musical sound breaking through the silence.

"Me… and Mister… _Riku_?" she chortled. "What. The. _Hell_?"

"Ignoring that," Kairi started curiously, "who does Sora like?" He resumed the thumping of his head on the wall. Ally giggled, her bright violet eyes flicking between the two of them. Kairi looked curious… and venomous. Clearly, the idea of Sora being in love with anyone other than herself was aggravating, to say the least. Sora looked up a little, staring straight at her and cocking his head to the side.

"Ignoring _that_," he retorted quickly. "Ally has a perfectly fine fashion sense, and we should leave her alone." Ally smiled serenely and Kairi frowned.

"What is it about Ally's outfit that you like the most?" she asked, a little _too _curious. He lifted his head again, looking her straight in the eye tiredly.

"Kairi?" he asked quickly.

"What?"

"You're gorgeous, stop worrying about it." Then he laid his head back down on the mattress, ignoring Kairi's incredibly red face. The door opened, another figure slipping inside quickly, closely followed by another, blonde and silver haired boys joining the rest of them. Sora sighed. "At least the first two knocked," he murmured quietly, sitting up with a groan.

"You look tired," Christian noted quickly.

"I'd look _asleep_ if people didn't keep asking me about their _fashion senses_," he hissed groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and putting his head in his hands. He'd come to the conclusion that, no, he didn't actually fall asleep the night before. "…Wait…. What do _you_ two want?" Riku grunted and sat down on his other side, away from Ally. Christian blinked.

"I needed to see your keychains," he replied simply. Sora stared at him blankly, hand moving to where the hook normally was at his waist as he remembered his earlier dilemma. He frowned.

"Uh…"

"You lost them, didn't you," Christian stated dully, more a statement than a question. Sora winced. "When did you last have them?"

"When we were fighting-" he cut himself off, staring at the door stiffly, suddenly alert by the familiar taste. "Shadow under the door," he murmured to himself quietly, waiting to see if the man would knock or not. The shadow shifted curiously, but the owner didn't make a move to knock. He frowned and stood up swiftly, moving towards the door, ignoring the curious looks of his friends. He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully as he reached the door, then reached out a hand and pulled it half open quickly to reveal a rather flustered Fernandez, clearly looking as though he'd just had his ear pressed against the door. Sora glared at him.

"Yes?" he asked angrily. Fernandez recoiled at the tone, wincing irritably.

"I… uh… I…"

"Well, if you haven't got anything, good _bye_," Sora cut in angrily, slamming the door in his face. He turned around to astonished and impressed faces (excluding Riku, who stared at him and grunted slightly to break the silence). He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I don't like people listening to my conversations," he said dully, turning back to the door and tasting the air as Fernandez left. Satisfied with the distance, he pulled the door open again and walked out.

"Wait, Sora- where are you going?" Kairi called after him as the door swung shut slowly behind him and receiving a shout in reply.

"To see that key chain stealing, cologne wearing, ugly piece of crap in his damned chair!"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

Sora slumped in his chair boredly at the giant dinner table, food finished and want for conversation diminished before he'd even entered the room. He'd brutalised the chaser in the castle prison for a good half hour to get results- his hook successfully clipped to his belt again. Now he was struggling not to fall asleep, eyelids fluttering closed again every few seconds. Ally glanced at him from across the table (and it was a reasonably thin table, just _really _long) and placed a well-aimed kick to his shins to keep him from drifting off again.

His head shot up in anger, blue eyes sending her a bone-chilling glare for a moment before turning apologetic and thankful. She smiled quickly and shook her head, turning back to listen to what Christian was saying to the king as he tried to ignore Fernandez's interruptions. Of course it wasn't that clear, but both Ally and Sora could see he was getting agitated. Sora glanced around the table quickly, watching as Fernandez switched quickly between Christian's conversation with the king and his own with a bored looking Kairi, who didn't appear to even _try_ getting a word in.

Donald and Goofy were having a very involved looking conversation with the little dog man (who Sora _now _knew as Max Goof, Goofy's son) while Minnie and Daisy spoke quietly of womanly castle things. Riku picked boredly at his half-filled plate before turning to voice his own occasional one-worded opinions to whatever Roxas and Naminé were talking about. All this at one side of the table. He frowned, turning to look at the few other visitors to Disney castle at the other side of the table, chatting amongst themselves- Belle and the beast, Jasmine and Aladdin, Mulan and General Shang, and Yuffie, Leon and Aerith still chatting animatedly about Hollow Bastion's defence system.

Ally kicked him again, causing him to turn to her with a frustrated questioning look (he HADN'T dozed off this time) as she indicated to the king at the other end of the table awkwardly. He frowned and look to the king, who was staring at him curiously.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that, your majesty?" he asked quickly, sitting up a little straighter in his chair.

"I asked you, Sora, why it was you slammed the door in the Duke's face this afternoon," the mouse repeated, hiding a smirk (albeit, not very well). Sora blinked innocently.

"I did?" he asked blankly, feigning innocence. "I don't remember doing that."

"Well you _did_," Fernandez replied spitefully, grinning evilly and clearly under the impression that he'd gotten the better of the young Prince by going to his superior. Sora pressed his lips together thoughtfully, cocking his head to the side. Then he shook his head.

"If you say so," he replied doubtfully, turning to Ally and rolling his eyes while he made a 'he's insane' sign rather clearly. He heard Fernandez hiss angrily, turning to the king.

"He did, I swear it!" he said. "I'd swear it on my fiancé's life."

An abrupt coldness fell over the table, almost everyone silencing immediately as he said it. Everyone was either looking at him with coldness or disgust, most glaring. Sora stood up slowly, his chair sliding back on the marble floor loudly as it left the carpet.

"If you'd excuse me," he said coldly. "I'm going to go outside to avoid doing anything _stupid _that I _really _feel like doing right now." The king nodded quickly, standing with him and heading for the door, Riku close behind with a grunt.

"Way to ruin my appetite," both Ally and Christian said loudly, standing and heading after them. After that, most people seemed to nod in agreement, standing and walking out themselves until only Fernandez and Kairi were left.

"I didn't-" he started, cut off by her hurt voice.

"Oh, shut _up_," she said loudly, standing up and walking after the others. She opened the door, slipping out quickly, only to have her hand caught by someone else. She tried to pull away, only to find persistence in the soft grip.

"Kairi…" Sora started, watching her stop moving beside him, eyes turning to him quickly. She looked both angry and sad, clearly sick of it all. But she was loosing that feeling as he watched, only to be replaced by tiredness. He frowned. "Come with me," he stated, half asking. She fixed him with a pleading look and he ignored it, dragging her along slowly.

"Sora…" she whined quietly. "I'm not in the mood…" He glanced at her with a frown and shook his head, intertwining their fingers softly. She sighed in defeat. "Where are we going?" He glanced at her again and grinned, pulling her up beside him.

"Flying."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Sora, why are you teaching me to fly?"

"You're getting it aren't you?" he retorted, more a statement than a question. She grinned, floating past him high above the castle as the stars came out. He took her hand again, making sure she didn't stray too far from him.

"That doesn't answer my question though, does it?" she asked sarcastically. He grinned.

"No, not really," he agreed simply, not disclosing his reasons even in the slightest as they fell into a comfortable silence- him bored and her accepting that he wouldn't answer. He frowned, his hovering position dropping slightly before he caught himself. He turned and flew down to the roof, Kairi close after him before he laid down on the roof slates casually. "That was low of him, you know."

"Hmm?" Kairi glanced at him curiously, wondering what he was talking about. "What was low of who?" He frowned, tearing his eyes away from the stars to take her in quickly before he turned back.

"Fernandez," he answered softly. "He's a dickhead. I don't like him."

"Do we _have_ to talk about this?"

"With three sleeps to go, I think _so_." He glanced at her troubled expression, gripping her hand a little tighter to reassure her. "But we don't have to if you don't want to." She looked at him, her eyes catching his, and smiled contently, squeezing his hand affectionately. They were silent for a while, staring at the other worlds quietly, before she broke the silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but shoot," he replied smartly, mocking Ally at the same time. She giggled quietly before she answered.

"When he was listening through the door," she started thoughtfully, "how'd you know he was there?" Sora grinned.

"I could taste his scent," he told her quietly. "He doesn't taste very good."

"And you can taste me?"

"Yes," he replied warily, suspicious of exactly where this line of questioning was going.

"What do I taste like?" she asked curiously, turning her head to the side to look at him as he fixed her with a sceptical smile and chuckled softly, thinking over his answer before he turned his gaze back to the stars.

"You taste…" He paused thoughtfully, thinking of what to say. He smiled slightly, their fingers once again intertwined. "You taste nice Kairi," he said simply, not even noticing as a pink tinge splashed across her cheeks slowly and she moved a little closer to him. He smiled softly as they fell into silence for the third time that evening.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

She closed the door and pressed her palm against it softly, willing him to leave. Damned fiancé decided that after his major screw up, they needed a 'make-up date'. He'd let her a talk a little this time, not demanding the entire floor. And his eerily pale eyes hadn't seemed quite as bad that day, almost tolerable. He was almost _like_able. She smiled at the thought, ignoring the fact the she was actually beginning to warm up to the dark haired Duke.

Wait… why did she want him to leave again?

It was something important- something to do with… She froze, turning around slowly to find a slightly unhappy looking Keyblade master sitting on the floor with his back against the wall at the other side of the room. He raised an eyebrow.

"Have fun with your Prince Charming?" he asked softly, eyeing her a little heatedly. She winced.

"How late am I?" she asked softly, remembering that she'd promised him that discussion about what was happening around them for that day. He cocked his head to the side.

"Should I take that as a yes?" he asked softly, starting to get up. "Because three hours isn't a grace period Kairi, it's more like a 'I forgot all about that lunch with my _best friend_ entirely' period."

"Sora, it's not like that," she told him quickly. "He was just… being nicer today- none of that controlling crap or anything. He was more likeable."

"Then it _is _like that," he replied quietly. He was irate for some reason.

"Calm down, it's not like I didn't come at all or anything…" He grunted, heading for the door. "What, that's it? You're going?"

"I told you last night," he said coldly. "After four, I can't do anything with you." He glanced at the clock beside her bed, noting that she actually had one. "And- oh look! Four o'clock!" He moved to put his hand on the doorknob. "How time flies when you're sitting boredly on your best friends floor, waiting for them to get back from their stinking _date_."

He pulled the door open, walking out quickly.

"Sora!" she called after him quickly, holding the door open. "Stop being so difficult!" He stopped and turned to her, glaring angrily.

"Stop complaining. You're the one who just wasted my last three hours for nothing in particular," he explained stonily, watching as she took a step back at the words, the hurt on her face turning into anger. "Oh, I just ruined your day, didn't I?" he asked sarcastically. She took the few steps in between them, grabbed him by the collar and dragged him violently back into her room and closing the door behind them. He didn't resist even in the tiniest, quite happy to have an argument at that moment.

"You're the reason I'm in this mess, and you have the _nerve_ to say _I'm _a waste of time," she hissed furiously, pressing him against the wall brutally. He grinned. Her brutal wasn't quite brutal enough.

"That's right, blame it all on _me_," he mocked, matching her anger. "Because it's my fault you're a princess. Sure. If it's anyone's fault we're here right now, it's you."

"Oh, and how does _that _work," she scoffed, face only centimetres from his. "Enlighten me, Mister Keyblade Master!" He laughed insanely.

"I'm only the freaking _keyblade master _because I grew up with _you_!" he told her. "In fact, if you hadn't gotten me into this crap, then I would be turning into a psychopathic murderer on the third day from now, none of this marriage crap! But as it is, I'm just going to give in to the familiar insanity and ruin your party."

"It's my _wedding_, dammit!" she hissed, catching his darkening eyes. He sneered.

"It's _my _birthday," he reminded her angrily. "But you wouldn't know that, because you're too busy falling in love with the freaking mannequin man! And you're too blind to see it. You think this is all bad for you, Kai." He watched her hesitate as she caught up with his words, suddenly remembering his birthday. "Or you did. Before you started to like this total jerk. And the saddest part is- you're playing right into their hands!"

"You're birthday?"

"I guess I _was _gone too long," he murmured snidely, watching as she stepped back. "Fall in love. I don't care anymore. But don't ever say I never tried."

He moved to open the door, almost slipping into the crack of light before she put a forceful hand on his shoulder.

"What do you mean, tried?" she asked him, infuriated. "What the _hell _have you tried to do?! And don't call Lucius a jerk- he's nicer than you give him credit for!" Sora shrugged her off coldly, his voice backed up with a steely undertone as their short but vicious argument came to an abrupt close.

"I give up," he said coldly, not even turning to see her. "You fell in love, and I never had a _chance_. I was away too long, and we both broke our promise. You've changed, Kairi," he told her quietly, hiding his sadness and hiding it well. "And I can't keep up."

Then he slipped out the door, leaving her confused alone to fume.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"What can you make of this, Mister Riku?"

Riku glanced up from his dinner plate to see what she was indicating to. He raised an eyebrow at his friends' obsessively normal behaviour. Sora was putting on a cheerful face, so perfect that Riku saw through it quicker than he would see a twenty-foot flashing neon sign on a dark night from two metres away. The brunette was chatting animatedly with Yuffie about _something _they had in common- probably something weird. And his auburn-haired friend was deep in discussion with her fiancé, surprisingly getting in full sentences to make the discussion two-sided and blatantly refusing to look in Sora's direction. He frowned.

Sora had come to their sparring session late, not to mention slightly moody. He had his answer in seconds, staring back at his plate quickly as he replied to Ally quietly.

"They had a fight," he replied simply. She looked at him curiously, about to voice something before he cut her off knowingly, his voice lethargic and even. "It was a _verbal_ argument, Ally." She stopped for a moment, thoughtful, then opened her mouth to speak again, and again, anticipated by Riku. "It was a _big_ fight." She stopped again, repeating the cycle. "They won't talk about it." And again. "None of your interferences, Ally," he said. By this time, the girl was infuriated by his ability to predict what she was going to say. She opened her mouth to object when he cut her off again. "It's an emotional thing, they'll figure it out themselves."

"I wasn't going to ask that, Mister Riku," she hissed bluntly. He turned to her with his emerald eyes, bemused, and blinked.

"You weren't?"

"I was _not_, thank you _sir_." She glared at him and he pursed his lips, waiting. She rolled her eyes. "I was _going _to mention the particulars of the marriage clause, actually. But not _here_." He frowned, excusing the two of them from the table quickly and dragging her quickly out the door, much to everyone's curiosity. She rolled her eyes as he dragged her into the cool night air, pulling her away from the dining room quickly. "_Very _inconspicuous, Mister Riku," she purred sarcastically, quite comfortable with the situation. He stopped randomly, turning to face her expectantly.

"Secluded enough for you?" he asked indifferently. She smiled slightly, turning to the ever-present railing of the castle courtyard and leaning on it boredly. He joined her, waiting for her explanation.

"Mister Riku, the marriage clause states that a princess must have been the subject of her true love's confession, else she must be promised to marry in her sixteenth year," she explained softly.

"Clear enough," he grunted. "But-" _She_ was the one to cut _him_ off this time.

"But there's a loophole."

"A loophole? In the clause?"

"Technically, there's a lot of loopholes, Mister Riku," she told him quickly, a hint of dry humour in her voice. "But there's one in particular that we want to focus on."

"What would this loophole _be_, exactly?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, it's a rather dry concept, really. But I'd have to start with the other loopholes first, knowing full well that they're pretty much null in this case." She took a short breath. "For instance, the clause states that a princess must be _promised _to marry in her sixteenth year, not actually marry. She can choose to have her wedding at any time after that point, she just has to have a suitor- loophole number one."

"So she can put off the wedding?" he asked, a thread of hope sliding into his voice. She shook her head, eyes dropping from the sky to the floor quickly.

"No, it's already organised, date set, people invited and everything," she said. "If she'd come straight off the mark when the king told her- even the day after- she could've said 'find me a fiancé and I'll marry him in ten years'. But with everything set, she has no choice but to follow through- and on Mister Sora's birthday, what's more." Riku sighed.

"I've been thinking about that," Riku murmured angrily, showing the most emotion she'd seen in him. "I'm thinking conspiracy here." Ally smiled slightly, waving it off.

"Should the fiancé die before the scheduled wedding day, no wedding is needed- the princess has already been promised, and that leaves the clause fulfilled- loophole number two."

"Then we'll-"

"Mister Riku, aspiring to be a conspiracy theorist encourages an open mind- Mister Fernandez won't just _die_." He shut his mouth, accepting that he should just listen. "And loophole number _three _is the one we're aiming for." She glanced at him curiously. "Mister Riku- do you believe Mister Sora and Miss Kairi are in love?"

He frowned. "I think they are," he replied hesitantly. "But this is putting a lot of strain on their relationship…" He remembered back to the dinner table. "And with the way she was acting with Fernandez today, you could swear that she's in love with him instead."

"That's because she is."

* * *

Ooooh… I'm on page 12 and there's not even a battle, so their conversation SHALL BE CONTINUED!!!!

…but not until next chapter.

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Respect thy evil author- she still has cookies for her good reviewers. Hehe.

**'Till next time, Duckies!**


	20. Round Two: The Loophole

Dis-a-ma-claimer: I don't own anything. I don't have a _job_. Lack of money incurs. Lack of money makes- oh, and I think you can guess this one- lack of ownership. Technically, everything I have belongs to my mother. So there.

For reference in this chapter- uh, when guys scream, it isn't high pitched and girly. Also, I'm kind of listening to Middle of the Night by Sherwood while I'm writing this. Key words – _by Sherwood_. I don't own it. I never will.

To my wonderful reviewers who are _probably _just a _liiiiittle _pissed at not updating in... uh... however long it's been since I updated, I'm sorry. I'm a hypocrite, I know. But I'm still not getting that damned movie for an upcoming chapter and I NEED IT! And I've been all nervous for my job interview which was yesterday. I think I was rejected... :(

**Zeromaru Chaos Mode: **I thought I wrote that reply under someone else... Guess not. But I did reply to you, so there. MUAHAHAHA! Believe me, Kit is not the worst nickname I have ever had. :) Feel free. You plan your story? I make it up as I go along. It works... somehow... Uhm... In the story, no fairy dust or anything was actually given to Kairi. But for fictional purposes, let's just say it _was_...

**RoxasTheOther: **rofl, short comment, very funny.

**Okiegirlforever: **all confusing relationship weirdoms shall be slightly cleared up in this chapter. Slightly. I know, saddening, isn't it?

**butaNENG: **aww, I feel special! You wrote me my own short story of... what was it... how I could hear you hyperventilating about me ending the chapter. It was very interesting. Seeing as I haven't been updating in ages (and I _really _don't like playing the nagging hypocritical annoying author, but I've had a shitty week so I hope you can forgive me) have you got the picture up yet? I think you'll be happy, I'm thinking of putting Avatar in this story at some point. You aren't failing life. I'm the one not allowed to go busking until I'm sixteen. Two years, buddy- TWO YEARS! Hah. Naruto. Hahahahaha.

**RikuLover211: **How could you _not _feel sorry for a girl in love with Fernandez? Evil is a matter of perspective. I _would _kill off my character (except Ally, 'cause she's cool), except I believe it's much more evil to make them suffer. Like, for instance, making them wish their favourite shows (I MISSED ANGEL LAST WEEK AND IT MAKES ME BURN INSIDE!!!) but probably something a little more tragic, methinks! Uh... I normally don't read through my chapter until they're already posted... AND I'll remind you that I suck at typing on a keyboard. Typos happen, I don't fix them (I'm lazy, sue me).

**Sora-Kairi-4-ever: **I'm good with the cliffies, aren't I? Love is overrated. Doesn't mean I can't write about it :)

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY!**

"Wait… _what_?"

"Miss Kairi loves Mister Fernandez."

"…is this some kind of _really _crappy joke?" Riku asked frustratedly. Ally shook her head.

"It's a ruse," she explained. "As the darkness can deceive hearts, so can he. Andre can, also, which is what Sora is afraid of."

"Fernandez and Andre are alike… Fernandez is…"

"…a copy. Andre's talent will come into play later, when Sora needs to understand. Chasers _aren't _regular people," she explained quietly. "Miss Kairi isn't truly in love with Mister Fernandez- she just believes she is."

"And that made her forget about Sora," he added hesitantly, more questioning than stating. Ally nodded.

"At least, romantically…" she said. "She might feel a particular twinge or burst of those hidden feelings every once in a while- she wants her prince, after all. But apart from that, her heart's true colours have been painted over."

"This is all to get to Sora?" Riku asked genuinely. Ally pursed her lips and nodded, hands tightening on the marble rail. "Someone has it in for him…"

"The fact that she doesn't remember that she's in love with Mister Sora doesn't change the fact that she _is_, thank god. Misplaced feelings don't change them," she said. She smiled. "Which is where the third loophole comes into play." She glanced at Riku approvingly as he snapped his mouth shut, allowing her to continue. "If a princess is told by her true love that he is in love with her before her wedding, the marriage clause goes entirely void." She was quiet for a moment, allowing the words to sink in.

"But she doesn't think she's in love with him."

"It doesn't change the fact that she is. Regardless of whether she believes it or not. As long as he confesses, she can back out of the marriage…" She thought for a moment. "Or we can crash her wedding."

"Are you going to tell Sora?" Riku asked, his blank composure regained. Ally stared at him sceptically.

"Too much pressure," she said. "I intend to give him a nudge in the right direction." Riku snorted.

"Yeah right. You intend to give him a _kick _in the right direction."

"Mister Riku- you know me too well…"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Hey, Sora!"

The brunette turned around quickly, seeing his nobody approaching quickly. He stopped, turning back to the dining room, but not actually going back. He fiddled with his vest, still in place of his normal jacket, and frowned slightly as he noticed Naminé coming after the blonde, and Christian after her. His nobody reached his side.

"We don't talk much anymore, do we?" Roxas asked quietly, tugging on his shoulder to get him walking as Christian and Naminé bypassed them, going off to their respective rooms quickly. Sora frowned thoughtfully.

"Guess not."

"Well, let's talk then," Roxas advised obviously. Sora rolled his eyes.

"I thought we were, but okay…" he murmured sarcastically. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Kairi."

"Wait… _what_?" he asked loudly, not unlike Riku had earlier. He stopped, watching his nobody take a step or two past him before reaching back to grab his shoulder and pull him along again. "Why do you want to talk about her?" he questioned, softer this time.

"Well, me and Nam want to know what was up at dinner tonight."

"Whatchya talkin' about, Rox?" Sora asked quietly, trying to stop his line of questioning. He frowned as Roxas turned his azure eyes to his counterpart and raised an eyebrow.

"C'mon, Sora. We both know you were dead fake tonight," he explained grudgingly. "And she wouldn't even look in your direction- not to mention the obsessive discussion with Andre the second."

"Andre the…" he stopped again, staring at the ground. He clicked his fingers on a _really_ late stroke of genius and pulled his hook of key chains off, throwing them to Roxas, who was a few steps away. "Ally won't tell me so I have to ask Andre- keep them safe for me, I should've done this earlier." He spun on his heel to face the railing before running over to practically dive off, landing quickly on the courtyard floor with the aid of his flying abilities. Roxas twirled the hook of key chains in his fingers thoughtfully as he watched the now shadowy figure disappear towards Andre's captivities. Naminé walked up beside him, obviously wanting something from him as he looked after Sora pensively. She touched his arm, causing him to glance at her quickly, noting her curious expression as he twirled the key chains again. He frowned.

"I get the feeling I just helped somehow, but I have no idea what I did."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Are you multi-talented?"

"Are you stupid?"

Sora frowned. "I could ask you the same question and get a positive answer, Andre," he replied thoughtfully. Andre cocked his head to the side, a frivolous grin sliding over his face. His fluro pink shirt showed through his open white jacket, causing Sora to frown again. He sat down on the ground, facing the chaser boredly.

The room was bright white- like the room full of Naminé's drawings in the old mansion of Twilight Town. Andre was sitting on a plain white chair in the middle of the room, cables tying him to the back of the chair wrapped around his waist, chains around his ankles strapping his feet to the legs of the chair, his hands still tied tight together with Ally's cable. Something about the cable kept him from summoning his keyblade- and most of his other powers.

"I'm trying to have a conversation here, Andre, and I'd encourage you to partake," Sora advised simply, watching the dark haired man frown.

"Ah, but why would I tell _you _anything?" he asked, oddly cheerful for a captive. Sora cocked his own head to the side, surveying Andre curiously.

"Well," he started thoughtfully, ideals trailed out in his mind. "For starters- I won't call you Andy while you're here." Andre winced.

"Tempting," he replied, "but not quite enough." Sora nodded.

"And if you give me what I ask for, Andre," he added softly, steeling himself for the traitorous actions he was about to voice. He gritted his teeth warily, reminding himself that it was worth it. It was, though, he knew. And if he didn't do it, he knew he'd regret it more than if he did.

His gut clenched for a moment before he felt oddly calm. He knew what he was doing was right. Halfly, anyway. He was beginning to see why Ally was so different, his view changing all the more every moment he spent alive.

The wrong thing done for the right reason is still the wrong thing… 

"If you give me what I want, Andre, I'll set you free…"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

Aros laughing, half-roar half-real. Saor smirking, half-approving half-disappointed. Darkness, biting at his skin with it's icy cold teeth, while he was on the thrashing floor, trying to divert the burning. His heart was beating seven times as fast, sending shivers through his body. He felt the tremors shake through his as he felt his heart burning up, trying to resist the darkness plaguing the rest of him. It was a lose-lose situation, he knew. He was going numb from the cold, only to be blasted with a wave of heat to bring back the persistent pain.

He felt himself screaming with the pain, convulsing as the darkness tore away at him from the outside and the light shredded him from the inside. His agony continued, and he felt more than saw Saor shake his head in pity while Aros just laughed.

"This is what happens when you do what you do," Saor told him quietly, voice breaking through the shouting. "You have to wake up."

There was as stabbing feeling as the ice pierced him entirely- his heart was failing. It hurt more than anything, knowing he'd done such a thing. Aros moved in for the kill, intending to take his spot. He leapt, Sora struggling to brace himself for contact. He was waiting for the extra pain, half looking forward to it. But as the tackle collided he lost consciousness and regained it again, this time for real.

He sat up in his bed, panting, and brunette fringe hanging over his face, shading his darkened azure eyes. He studied his hand quickly, moving his fingers testily as he reminded himself where he was. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the light as a shiver and a dagger of pain shot down his back before he wiped the cold sweat from his face, pushing back the torn up sheets that had just constricted his aggravated writhing. He frowned as he saw his sharp claw-like fingernails retracting to normality, feeling a similar sensation in his mouth as his fangs slid away and the last ring of red seeped out of his eyes.

He swung his legs off the bed, finding his boots quickly, new pair of socks included, and pulled them onto his bare feet.

"Three o'clock," he murmured weakly, his voice quaking slightly. He took a few breaths before standing up and changing his shirt quickly, heading for the door. "I can't fall asleep tonight… It'll happen again…" He slipped out of the door quietly, still shaky. He scanned the area quickly, trying to distinguish scents and intents, but finding nothing except those sleeping.

_Good, I don't want to talk_.

He fought of a headache as he reached the railing, for once not feeling like falling or flying. He felt sick, downright queezy. He lifted himself onto the rail slowly, looking up instead of down, just in time to see another star go out. His feet were solidly on the marble railing, eyes scanning the sky sadly and with an undertone of venom.

"Sora?"

He didn't even turn around to see the black-haired girl standing tiredly behind him, rubbing sleep out of her eyes warily while her curiosity got the best of her.

"I don't want to do this anymore," he whispered quietly. She frowned, glittering violet eyes trained on him sleepily.

"Aros saved you," she noted softly. She took a few steps back and sat down on the marble ground, her back against the wall and watching him quietly as her tiredness disappeared slightly. He looked down to the ground sadly, still not turning to see her.

"He's different to me. I'm starting to see it now." He took a short breath. "But me and him- we aren't that different. We have the same intentions, want the same things… hell, we even resort to the same things to get them… But he's not a bad guy- he just…"

"Does some of the wrong things?" Ally asked simply. She nodded in agreement. "We all do the wrong things, Mister Sora. It's just that some of those things are worse than others." A cool breeze swirled past them, lazily tousling Sora's fringe. His eyes were tinged with shame, sadness and fear, but he didn't care.

"I set Andre free," he told her, a little louder. She nodded, eyes closed, not even questioning his actions.

"Did you get what you needed from him?" she asked softly. He turned to her curiously, a tinge of cheerfulness showing as he realised she more or less didn't _care_. He stepped back off the railing, walking over to sit beside her.

"Fernandez is a puppet," he replied simply. "And Andre is the one pulling the strings. But at the same time, Fernandez was created from him with his own mind and free will, so he takes a simplistic order and chooses to execute it however he wishes. To finish him I have to cut the strings."

"Very good, Sora," she murmured sadly. "You've taken your first step."

They were silent for a few moments, him staring at the wall and her with her eyes closed before she spoke again.

"I think I've asked you before, Mister Sora, and I don't mind if you choose not to answer… do you love Miss Kairi?" she asked hesitantly. He lifted his hand in front of his eyes in silence, studying the lines of his palm as he thought about the question. He smiled a little.

"Yeah," he replied quietly, leaning his head back on the marble wall and closing his eyes. "Yeah, I do…"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but shoot," Ally replied hesitantly, picking at her breakfast boredly, not quite hungry.

"Why'd you stay with me all morning?" Sora asked quietly, playing with his own bacon and eggs distastefully as other people started to fill in the room. Roxas and Naminé sat across the table from the two of them, saying a quick hello including Roxas throwing the key chains back to Sora before launching into their own discussion again. Riku sidled in drowsily, grunting non-commitingly before sitting down on Sora's other side and listening to their conversation half-heartedly. The other worlders had gone home the day before, picking up the pace to get away from Disney Castle since the dance, determined not to be the last stragglers. The king and Christian entered, deep in conversation, as per usual. Fernandez was sitting boredly in his seat, set on pampering the princess of heart the moment she walked in the room. Their wedding was the day after, set for Sora's launch time too.

_Port Royal, here we come_.

What an interesting birthday he was set to have, cooped up on a gummi ship all day. Possibly not the best idea for someone bound to have side-effects from their proper ascension, but sure, a good birthday all the same.

"Mister Sora, your heart may have led you to believe that you were better off alone this morning, but if I had left you as such you would have two possible outcomes right now," she explained matter-of-factly. He frowned.

"What would those two outcomes be, exactly?" he asked, scrunching his face up a little as he tried to figure them out. She laughed at his expression.

"Cute, Mister Sora, but leave the thinking to the conspiracy theorists." She leant forward to look past him to Riku. "Mister Riku- the two most obvious outcomes, if you'd please." Riku grunted slightly.

"Off-world," he said boredly, dragging the words out slowly. "Or dead." Sora frowned thoughtfully.

"They both sound pretty good to me," he noted dryly. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Exactly why I stayed up with you for the past five hours," she explained, dropping her fork as she forfeited, unable to eat much more of her food. Sora followed suit with a sigh, admitting defeat. He watched as she produced her silver hip-flask, taking a swig, frowning as he thought about it.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"You just did, but shoot," she repeated boredly. He pointed at the flask.

"Why do you drink that stuff if it's explosive?" he asked. She quirked an eyebrow at him doubtfully, staring at the flask for a moment before she made the connection back to her blowing up Oogie Boogie. She grinned.

"Because it's not."

"Not what?"

"Not explosive. Or flammable." Sora scratched his head uncertainly.

"Then why'd Oogie Boogie go _boom_?" he asked curiously, frowning thoughtfully. She stared at him comprehendingly, opening the flask again.

"Because he believed it was."

"Was what?"

"Flammable," she replied simply. She frowned at him. "You have a really short attention span you know." He grinned sheepishly.

"That I do, that I do…" he agreed quickly, slightly proud. "So he blew up because he thought it was an explosive?"

"Yes."

"But it's not?"

"No."

"How does that work?" he asked, genuinely confused she poured the clear liquid into her cupped hand. Sora watched it curiously for a moment, trying to figure out what it was. "It's lighter that water," he noted quickly, not knowing how he knew. "But what is it?"

"It's transmutable matter," she told him. "It is whatever you want it to be." She stood up quickly, loosening her fingers so the liquid slipped through. His eyes followed the swirling liquid as it fell to the floor before it simply disappeared, siphoning into the air before it hit the ground. He raised an eyebrow.

"That's weird," he told her simply, lacking surprise. "Chaser talent?"

"Nah, it's a sibling thing," she replied, sitting back down again and twiddling her fingers on the table. He nodded, sneaking a glance at Christian. "We can create it, but anyone can use it."

"When you use it, what do you use it as?" he asked curiously.

"Anything."

"Generally, Ally."

"Caffeine. Fuel. A number of other things of the type."

"Ah."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Sora!" he turned around in the cool night air, happy to have someone to talk to for even a moment. It was late and he couldn't think of anything to do to keep himself occupied. To be frank, he was surprised the king was out this late looking for him.

"Your majesty," he noted glumly, trying to pull his mind away from his fight the day before with Kairi. Technically, he was in the clear- being stood up for three hours calls for anger. The king walked closer to him, eyeing him curiously.

"It's good that you're still awake, I'm going to need your help with something," the mouse explained quickly. "Walk with me." They headed down the long corridor, railing on one side and wall on the other. "Andre was gone this morning, and I understand you had something to do with this." Sora frowned, eyes drifting to the floor. The king chuckled, his ears shaking with the laughter and his tail flopping lazily about behind him. "Don't worry, Sora, I know that _if _you let him go, you did so with a good intention." Sora frowned again.

"With respect, your majesty," he started uncertainly. "The wrong thing done for the right reasons is still the wrong thing." Mickey smiled.

"Ah! But it may not be the wrong thing," he noted. "For sure, Andre owes you a life debt." Sora glanced out to the courtyard, noting two figures walking in the midst of the flowers at quite a close proximity. He frowned again, keeping his silence. "Your proper ascension is tomorrow," the king ventured softly. "Your awakening has already happened, but tomorrow the power will be reinforced. If you want any help, don't hesitate to ask." Sora smiled thankfully.

"I have the feeling I'll be fine," Sora replied, truth backing up his words. The king nodded quickly, accepting the gesture before turning back to his path.

"The two in the courtyard are to be told to go back to their rooms- I would appreciate it if you would tell them. It's a big day for the two of them tomorrow as well, and we can't have the princess doing anything foolish tonight." Sora took a quick intake of breath, forcing himself to keep going.

"Yes, your majesty," he submitted softly. Mickey glanced at him sympathetically.

"Off the record- from a friend to a friend, not a king to a prince," the mouse started. "This may be your last chance to tell her what you may or may not have wanted to tell her at all, so I'd recommend you go for it and see how it turns out." With that, the mouse winked and picked up the pace towards his quarters, leaving a slightly stunned and embarrassed Sora behind.

Sora smiled softly, turning to the stairs to go the courtyard. He stopped on the bottom stair, staring at the moon curiously to watch it's dismal glow. He chuckled, thinking over the situation.

"It's a bit useless, really, but I guess I'm going to tell her," he mused softly. "And arguing with her yesterday… why was it… fun?"

_If it's fun, do it again._

_**Saor?**_

What? 

_**Why would I argue with her again?**_

You said it was fun. Shout some sense into her, too, she's not thinking straight. Make it the last thing you two discuss- she'll get it eventually.

He grinned. _**Smart Ass…**_ It _was_ fun. He had a good time venting his feelings to her, actually. He would've said it was a good time, but he could hardly say a thing. He heard Kairi giggle at something Lucius said.

"Nah, Kai," he murmured quietly. "He's got you right where he wants you…" He decided. It would go how it would go.

He started walking towards them on the other side of the garden castle, finding himself tuning into their conversation subconsciously.

"It's getting late, my love," Fernandez was saying softly. Sora slowed down, trying to figure out the man's intentions. He made a throwing up face as he listened.

"But we were only just getting to the good part," Kairi whined playfully. Sora frowned, eyes flaring with anger. He felt his fingernails itch for a moment, threatening to become claws again. Lucius laughed.

"Perhaps you'd like to come back to my rooms then," he replied suggestively. "We can continue our discussion of my home world there… I have some things from there I think you would like." That made Sora's teeth tingle. The eve of ascension was a dangerous night to get overprotective, he realised. He sped up in that moment, appearing just in time to cut off Kairi's positive sounding response.

_The king was right- she'd _really _regret that…_

"I think that'd-"

"Princess, your _lordship_," he interrupted darkly, glaring at the wall past them as he refused to look at either of them. "The king wants you two get back to your rooms."

"Why'd he send you?" Fernandez asked curiously, his calm demeanour slipping by the moment. Sora glared at him meaningfully, feeling his fangs growing slowly. Somehow he knew his eyes were bi-coloured, one red, one blue. Scratch that earlier comment- the eve of ascension was a _really _bad time to get angry.

"I'm her _escort_," he replied softly, trying to control his venomous feelings. "So _finish up_." Then he turned around and started to walk away slowly, hearing a groan and a quick goodbye full of promise exchanged between the two of them before Kairi ran after him, not even bothering to cover her apparent anger.

"You ruined my evening," she hissed, as she caught up to him. He rolled his eyes, fists clenched as he tried to ignore her. She wouldn't take silence for an answer. "Care to _explain _yourself?" He lifted his gaze to the stars, still ignoring her. "I'm telling you to answer me, and you have to! You have to do what I want you to, Keyblade Master. Remember?"

"No, I don't. I'm not your servant, your _highness_," he said mockingly, trying to avoid the hurt that her statements made. "I'm an official Prince, so I don't have to do a thing."

"Then explain it as a friend!"

"Oh, we're friends?" he asked sarcastically, striking her a verbal blow. She stopped, staring at the back of his head, hurt and angry.

"We always have been," she said softly, searching for an answer.

"Nothing lasts forever, Kairi," he told her quietly, his voice cold. He was horrified- he wanted to say the exact opposite, but couldn't seem to stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth. This wasn't Aros or Saor, it wasn't even his own darkness. It was _him_. His emotions, his thoughts. And he found he didn't care anymore- she wasn't coming with him, he could tell her anything he wanted to and it wouldn't matter. When the king told him, he wasn't just talking about romantic feelings. He was talking about _everything_.

Did he know about the final move?

"I can't believe you just said that, Sora," she said weakly.

"What were you expecting?" he asked her venomously. "You have a rant about me ruining your _evening_? You were about to ruin your _life_."

"I'm not an idiot, Sora- I _knew _what I was doing!" she told him angrily. He turned around, fixing her with his agitated glare, bi-coloured eyes catching her attention only briefly.

"Yeah, of course you did," he spat. "Because you're the all-knowing sixteen year old princ_ess_ who forgets all about her _best friend_. I'm sick of it, Kairi! I'm sick of looking out for you, sick of doing every _single _thing to get back to you, when you for_get_…" He felt his claws coming out, but he didn't care anymore. "And I don't see how you don't _get_ it yet!"

"Get _what_?" she asked, trying not to raise her voice too much. "What am I supposed to _get_? What have you been _trying _to do?" He shook his head.

"I gave up my _heart _for you, and you didn't get it," he told her loudly, taking a step back and staring at his hand as he realised his claws had pierced the skin on his palms. He laughed a little madly. "I was stupid, I was young…" he laughed again. "As if I'm not now. Foolish of me to think you'd feel the same- who could love a wretch like me?"

"What?"

"I _love_ you, Kairi. Or I _did_," he added angrily. "I don't know anymore, and even if I did- it wouldn't _matter_. It _never _mattered." He saw her take a step back, wary and afraid, something else playing in her eyes as he said it, struggling to emerge from her heart. He nodded and turned to walk away. "Like I said- who could love someone like me?" She took a step after him.

"You can't just leave it like this!" she called after him. He turned to look back at her and shook his head angrily.

"Yeah, princess, I can," he said. "I'm leaving tomorrow- ascended and murderous, but still leaving. And you're getting married, Kairi. To a guy you _really _seem to love. And at the end of this journey, I won't even be on the sidelines anymore. You haven't got a thing to worry about."

"You just came here to fight with me, didn't you!"

"Yeah, because my _entire _life is about fighting with you Kairi!" he said sarcastically. "I came tonight because the king and me alike didn't want you to do anything _stupid_. 'Cause Fernandez has got you _right _where he _wants _you."

"Oh, and where would _that _be!?"

"Look where you are," he murmured darkly. "He's going outside in the middle of the night with you- and you _still _don't get the implications- the ending effects. He could do _anything _to you and you wouldn't stop him. _Tell_ me what I'm supposed to do!"

"Leave me alone, Sora!" she said. "And don't do a thing to stop me from doing what I want- what I think is right."

"Still gonna be right in the morning with the sun creeping through the blinds?" he asked her frustratedly, shaking his head. "You gonna tell him you had a good time- but you can barely say a _thing_. You'll regret what you regret, Kai, but I'm not going to regret stopping you."

"Stop it!" she shouted, not even bothering to keep her voice down. "I'm not getting it- at _all_. You've got all this stuff going on and you're angry with _me_? What the hell is wrong with you? Stop fighting and calm down for a second- we've got to talk it through."

"No, Kairi," he told her quietly, half turning to walk off. "Told you all I had to- I'm fine, I _can_ go another time with you." He paused for a moment, feeling blood trickly down his hands. "Why would I want to?" He frowned, his anger spent. "I've told you everything I wanted to- I _love _you. And that's regardless of you changing. But I guess I've been away for far too long, it seems… And this brand new group of friends- yours and mine… They're making me ready to lead and I'm ready to leave, again. The sooner I leave, the sooner I don't have to feel this feeling, Kairi."

"You… I guess…" she started, half speechless as his words finally sunk in. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say, Sora…" she told him weakly. He shook his head.

"You never had to say a thing."

* * *

Then he turned on his heel, disappearing before she had the chance to register the fact that he was leaving at all.

Bored, bored, bored, boreddd.


	21. Round Three: The Wedding

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, it would be a _claimer_, not a _dis_claimer. Note the prefixes, people…

**Alert : **_**wedding scene ahead!!!**_

Guys, I did this whole reply to reviews and things a few seconds ago, took me forty minutes. The the internet went screwy. So, no, I'm not doing it again, it'll make me want to SCAN MY FACE!!! (rofl, buta...) I'll reply next chapter when I'm not tired and pissed off and I've done the stupid recording for music and bleargh. I feel sick...

**_

* * *

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**Chap-ter Twen-ty ONE!!!**

"He hasn't answered the door."

"Three options, Mister Riku," Ally replied boredly, heading for Sora's door quickly in the late morning light. "He's asleep, he's brooding, or he's not there." She pouted as she faced the door. "Wedding's in half an hour- same time we make lift-off." She paused again thoughtfully. "What's the _exact _time of Sora's birthday?"

"In about half an hour," Riku told her simply.

"About?"

"Give or take a minute." She reached out to the door, knocking loudly. The Castle was rather silent here, most citizens helping with the wedding preparations in the chapel. The door opened slowly, a very tired looking Sora staring out at them boredly.

"…'M already packed," he complained drowsily, starting to yawn. Ally pushed the door open with a sceptical expression, pulling his hand up to stare at his palms, the dried blood catching her eye the second the door opened. She frowned at the punctures on each hand. "You fell asleep," she mused loudly. He shook his head.

"Got angry last night," he explained. "Didn't fix it."

"Then fix it now, insomniac," she said. "And tell me why I heard shouting last night." Sora frowned, murmuring a cure spell. "Did you tell her?" He nodded, immediately grasping the concept. Ally grinned and Riku grunted approvingly.

"That's why it tastes different, isn't it?" he asked, more a statement than a question. "The clause is void, but she's going to follow through." He didn't wait for an answer, just turned around to grab his stuff from the bed and walk out the door to stuff it all in the Gummi ship. Ten minutes later he made his way to the library in search of Donald.

"Sora, you look dead," the duck noted the moment he looked up. Sora smiled a little.

"I didn't sleep last night- I didn't want to ruin the sheets again," he replied softly. The duck nodded.

"The king told us of your problem," he said. "Don't worry- the side effects will be gone soon."

"I might be a little late for the gummi ship, so wait until all six of us are there," he told the duck gently, receiving a confused look. "You, Goofy, Axel, Ally, Riku and I. Roxas and Naminé are going to Twilight town- they've had some trouble there lately."

"Ah." Donald paused, realising the boy was thinking of something else. "Yes?" he encouraged quickly, wagging his tail feathers boredly. Sora frowned.

"Uh… Can I paint my room on the Gummi ship?" he asked, slightly childish. Donald laughed, patting him on the arm before heading for the door.

"I'll get you some paint."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Ally!"

The black-haired girl spun at the call, sighting a frantic looking Roxas_. Three minutes to go_… She immediately started running to him, Riku at her heels.

"It's Sora- he's-" he stopped as they ran past him, turning on his heel to run with them. They were by the brunette's side in moments, trying to calm him down as he gripped the marble wall with his hands, grip flickering from clawed to normal and back again. Dark flames were dancing along his skin, his eyes flaring red and blue repetitively as he sunk to the floor, thrashing about occasionally, his teeth growing in slowly. Roxas moved to reach out for him, restrained quickly by Ally.

"We can't help him now- we can only try to guide him." She turned to Sora, crouching beside him and going as close as she dared. He glared at her with crimson eyes, a tinge of yellow sinking in around the edges. She could see the bloodlust and the restraint he was holding over it. He wouldn't hurt them…

…yet…

"Who is it that started this whole thing?" she asked him boldly, entering the thoughts into his mind. "Who is it that awakened your darkness for today, and then started to steal your light away?" He thrashed beside her, laughing insanely at the words. His boot connected with the wall, sinking into the marble quickly as the wedding bells began to sound. "Who is it that enchanted your princess? Deceived her heart so she wouldn't remember what she wanted- only him…? Who is it that tries, today, to turn you to kill your friends?" He hissed in reply, chuckling evilly as he winced at the battle raging inside him. "Who is it that stole away your love and threatens to ruin her life?"

Sora glared at her, baring his fangs as the tremors settled down and he stopped moving entirely, stock-still and watching her with yellow-tinged, crimson eyes, flames leaping across his darkened skin. He flexed his claws quietly, fringe falling over his face as the flames leapt higher, crackling loudly. He laughed evilly, ignoring the movement as Riku pulled Ally out of the way of the dark inferno before it pushed out and contracted into nothing, Sora leaving the scene cruelly. Through it all, she heard his reply- a hiss- the only target on his hit list, immediately condemned.

"Fernandez…"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"If any of you object, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Most people in the room looked as though they were biting back objections, but Kairi was oblivious to it, eyes trained solely on her fiancé. She drummed her fingers on her slimming white dress, not too formal, not too casual, wishing the moment would hurry past so she could finish this already.

_Forgetting something…?_

She quickly scanned the crowd as the tiny voice sounded in her mind, trying to find a face and not knowing who's it was. But she knew she didn't find it there.

_And when you promised you wouldn't forget again…_

She bit her lip quietly, trying to figure out who it was, wishing she could remember as the priest advised Fernandez to begin his vows.

_He's trying to line up the pieces, and you scattered them again…_

There was an echoing laugh in the large room, cutting Fernandez off. A ball of black flames appeared above them, a dark figure dropping down between the two of them lithely. Kairi and Fernandez both took a few steps back before he landed, noting the darkness biting at his darkened skin as he hunched slightly, taking a predatory stance. He grinned, baring his fangs as his crimson-yellow eyes lit up happily.

"Am I too late for the objections?" he asked, voice husky and deep. The priest whimpered behind him and Fernandez took a step back, attracting his attention. There was a burst of dark flame from the intruder's right hand, revealing the Oblivion keyblade leaping with shadows of its own. He laughed softly, intention clear before he started towards Fernandez.

"Sora…" the king called softly from his place in the first row, standing up sadly and knowing he couldn't do a thing to stop the dark prince now. He was ignored, as predicted. Fernandez was thrown a sword length pole from someone on his side as he took another step away warily. The next moment, he was being malled by the Dark Prince in the flesh. Sora opted to cause the duke as much pain as possible, using his fists and the hilt of his keyblade instead of the actual blade. In seconds it was over, Fernandez on the ground, bleeding and in pain. Kairi gave a shout as he raised the Oblivion over her fiancé, still believing she loved the guy.

Sora turned his head to her so she could see one eye as he evaluated her. She took a step forward, beginning to run towards him and push him out of the way as she saw his crimson eye, noting the yellow ring around the edge of his irises. She started to run and he spun his keyblade quickly before plunging it into her fiancé's heart. He turned to meet her attack, not even bracing himself as she collided with him and they both were thrown to the floor.

Then he felt the pain that he was waiting for- ignoring all the people up from their seats and the king's uncertainty of what to do as Fernandez lay dead on the floor, Oblivion keyblade protruding straight out of his chest. Anger sprung from Kairi's misplaced emotions and she let her light swell through her to the Prince on the floor, watching as he screamed beneath her weight and the light ravaged him.

Fernandez's body began to deteriorate from all sides, sliding up in a thin straight line to the roof before slipping through that too. The Oblivion disappeared as Fernandez was sent back through his string to his creator, Andre. Mickey gasped, standing up to watch the sight and finally understanding, before heading over to the two islanders and attempting to get Kairi away from the dark prince.

"Let him go, Princess!" he ordered quickly, watching as she did the complete opposite, grabbing his arms and pinning him further against the floor.

"Not until he knows what he's _done_," she hissed over his screams, watching with cruel satisfaction as his claws disappeared and his fangs retracted to be only a little sharper than normal, the yellow seeping out of his eyes, closely followed by the red, the dark flames around him lowering to a simmer before disappearing entirely. But she didn't stop there.

She continued to pour her light into him until Mickey pulled her off him and restrained her so she could see what she'd done. She looked behind her to see Fernandez's absence and wonder why her love for him was disappearing. She looked at her once-white dress, noticing that it was soaked crimson with blood.

_Sora's blood…_

"Oh my…" Mickey murmured, causing her to turn as Sora half sat up, tearing at the neck of his shirt and his crown necklace in pain as he tried to see what she'd done to cause his blood soaked clothing. The cloth ripped easily beneath his fingers and he tore the chain around his neck, holding it in his hand distractedly, staring down at his torso in horror. She'd ravaged him, first burning him entirely and then plainly tearing at him with her sharp light. The closer she got to his heart, the less damage she'd done, so only a jagged, ropy wound was visible over his heart, blood pooling in the gash. She somehow knew that it was the reopening of a scar.

_**I gave up my **_**heart**_** for you, and you **_**still**_** didn't get it…**_

Suddenly regaining the feelings she'd lost over the past few days, she took a step towards him, worry and regret splayed across her features. He put his hands to the ground, pushing himself away from her as he looked up to see her face. His eyes were panicked and pained, his breathing hard. She stopped.

"Don't touch me," he murmured, pleading evident. She stared, horrified by what she'd done and by the look she'd seen in his eyes. He was _afraid._ More than that, he was afraid of _her_. She watched him struggle to his feet, ignoring the small amount of blood pooling around him, he looked dizzy and confused, hardly able to stay on his feet, face paling considerably as he lost blood. He started to stumble for the exit, his eyes unfocused. He shook his head to clear it, hand shooting out immediately to the edge of the first pew to steady himself. He saw Leon stand up in the third row as he neared the Hollow Bastion trio, still on world until the next day. He shook his head.

"I have to d-do this…" he started, needing breathe as he slumped against the third pew.

"Sora, just let us-" Leon started, cut off softly by the younger man.

"…alone." Yuffie stood beside her friend, putting a hand on his shoulder as she eyed the blood seeping through the Keyblade master's clothes quickly, despite his body's effort to repair itself. He grinned half-heartedly. "D-don't worry, you'll…" he paused again, trying to get the pain under control. "…s-see me again b-before this k-k-kills me."

He caught himself with a quick intake of breath before starting for the open doors again, slightly picking up the pace. He stopped at the door, leaning on the huge stone frame as one leg gave out beneath him, his chain sliding out of his hand to clang on the floor, with or without his acknowledgement. Then he disappeared outside, going towards his goal of the Gummi ship, leaving his blood-covered chain necklace on the marble floor.

"Leon…" Yuffie murmured quietly, heard softly over the silence. "I think he… I think he was lying…"

The attendants left quickly, everyone filing out of the chapel happily, wondering exactly what just happened. The king glanced at the princess beside him, noting her shock and horror at what she'd done and what she'd forgotten, murmured a few things, and left her to her musings sympathetically as he heard the Gummi ship powering up and leaving.

Kairi sat on the steps at the front of the room, burying her face in her bloody hands. She loved him. She loved him and she just tore him up entirely, in more than just a physical sense, staining herself with her lover's blood. She groaned. She'd blown him off repetitively, fighting with him because of her ignorance- he'd had a right to be angry.

And he'd told her.

The three words she'd wanted to hear for so long, and she had been horrified when he said them, her feelings misplaced at the time. Not just that- he said it twice. He loved her, and she _rejected _him.

_What _the _hell _was _wrong _with her?

"He saved you, you know?"

Her head shot up to see the blonde chaser watching her from the door of the chapel. He glanced at Sora's chain on the floor, reaching down to grab it before he walked up to her, sitting on the stair beside her.

"What've I done?" she asked weakly. He frowned, twirling the silver pendant in his fingers and watching as the scarlet liquid slipped onto his fingers.

"You've come to the realisation, Princess, that not all feelings are real," he replied softly. "The trick is figuring out which ones are."

"I thought… I was in love with… Fernandez…" she told him with a bit of disgust, a lot of shame, tears trickling down her cheeks. He was silent for a moment, considering his answer.

"Andre did it," he explained simply. "He deceived your heart, making you believe you were in love with Fernandez. Fake feelings." He looked up to the door thoughtfully, still twirling the pendant in his fingers. "Now, your feelings for Sora- they're real."

"It doesn't matter," she cried, choking back another sob. "He's gone." Christian shook his head and held the chain out for her to take, watching as she glanced at it, then at him. She reached out for it tentatively, twirling it in her own fingers sadly.

"Clean yourself up," he advised quietly. "Pack what you'll need, meet me this afternoon, and I'll take you to Sora."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Donald bugged curiously, trying to enforce a stern tone as Sora finished his healing process and moved off to the common room in need of hot chocolate. Axel had been left alone in the bridge to pilot the ship while the others bugged him. He persisted with silence, brow furrowed as he entered the common room. Ally looked up from her chess game with Riku- clearly a bad habit already- and frowned at the duck.

"Leave him alone," she told him quickly. "Can't you see he's brooding?" Sora nodded his acknowledgement of the fact and Donald pursed his beak, realising the time for talk with the keyblade master was not then.

"The paints are in your room if you want them," he said softer, happy to see he got a small smile in reply. Goofy hyucked quietly, promising the keyblade master a three hour lull before their next destination before turning to and leaving with his duck companion. Sora proceeded to make his breakfast for lunch and some hot chocolate for him and the others, humming softly as he tried to take his mind off his problems.

Before she knew it, Ally was mouthing the words to the tune, Riku strangely joining into the humming. At some point they started singing, albeit, not very well. All just stupid and mindless to get Sora's mind of his heartbreak.

_Yo ho, yo ho_

_A pirate's life for me…_

* * *

Uh, for the record- the wedding scene turned out different to how I planned. Five weeks makes me forget things, what can I say? 

I'm thinking the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Why? Because I _like _Avatar. Awesome show. It'll be later though.

YO HO YO HO A PIRATES LIFE FOR ME! We sing that in maths. And at school. Come to think of it, my friends and I sing quite a lot. Normally to annoy people, I don't know. But I talk really loud, so I sing really loud too…

REVIEW QUICK, I'LL UPDATE TOMORROW!!! Only if you review me though :)

'till next time duckies…


	22. Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me

Disclaimer: Chapter twenty-two… what? I'm just going to turn around and say 'I _own _Kingdom Hearts' after twenty-two chapters? I **don't** think _so_…

For purposes of it being the last day of holidays for me while I'm writing this, I feel the urge to type something absolutely _normal._

**I FEEL SO BEAUTIFUL TODAY! BA BA BA BA BA BADA **_**BA**_

Note stress on the last 'ba!'. You should listen to that song- 'Beautiful' by Social Code. It has nothing to do with the chapter, I just like it…

Review me-e-e-e-e-e…

**TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran: I try to update often, but it's kinda hard when your sister steals your USB with all your chapters on it for weeks on end AND you have major writers block, lol. **

**Yami no Nalix: I know, him dying makes me warm and fuzzy inside :) Yes, she is an idiot. And writer's block drama, somehow? I think so!**

**butaNENG: look, I just can't let the face scanning go! I swear, we were talking about it at school and all laughing about it and everything. 'Tis on my list of things to do, too... I have WAY too much time on my hands... Is tense your word of the month, now?**

**Shire Folk: Dunno if you're up to this yet, but I appreciate the reviews!**

**RikuLover211: You review short, I reply short... But not really. I'll keep ya guessing, MUAHAHAHAHA!**

**Merrrrrrrrrrr :)** : **you were reviewing indeed :) **

**RoxasTheOther: Dr. Phil is lame, methinks... yes, emo... very emo... I think I've covered the writer's block, right? Lol...**

**Zeromaru Chaos Mode**: **lol, yesh. I'm REALLY going to whore myself out for reviews... NOT! I'll give non reviewers food poisoning, though:) Thankyou for letting the change of ideas slide, though... and for finally UPDATING your story... :)**

**Cw Clark: Omg, double OC review... that made my day! Chyah- took him a while to wake up and do something about being a shy prat, hey?**

For the purposes of me not knowing how many days actually pass between several parts of Pirates of the Caribbean, I'm making them up. So there. Everything above this paragraph and a bit of the stuff below was written… BLIMEY! MORE THAN FIVE WEEKS AGO! I am a master of procrastination, you see. Okay, here's the deal- after weeks of nagging and annoying people who always conveniently forget things, I finally decided "screw it, no one's going to give me the freaking movie!" so I dragged my mother to the video shop and rented Pirates 2. I'm watching it as we speak (or… as I write, anyway…), so on with the piratey chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 22.2222222222222222…**

"It doesn't work. And it _certainly _doesn't show you what you want most," Elizabeth told them grudgingly, causing Norrington to smirk.

Jack looked over the woman's shoulder curiously, staring at the dark wooden box as the compass-point spun around aimlessly.

"Yes it does- you're sitting on it!" she turned to stare at him sceptically.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Move!" he ordered, shooing her away with his grubby ringed fingers and whistling for James Norrington to step forward lethargically with a shovel, dishevelled and dirty. Elizabeth moved furiously, stopping a few steps away to watch the digging begin. She and Jack both spun around in surprise at what happened next.

_**Crash!**_

"Ah!"

"Yeaowch! Mister Riku, get off me!"

"Hn."

"Oh, stop with the grunting Mister Macho-and-Unemotive! MUSH!"

"Would you two mind _not _fighting for once and getting _off _me?"

"I can't get up, Donald's squashing me."

"Well, Mister Riku- tell _him _to mush!"

"Don't take that tone with me- I'm getting squashed by Goofy here!"

"I don't care! Two of you crushing me is bad enough! You're breaking my back here- one of you move!"

There was a silence before a simultaneous shamefaced "sorry, Sora…" and the rustling of people moving. Five figures then slid over the nearby dune, one of them clutching his back gingerly. He looked up to see Jack and Elizabeth watching while Norrington continued digging.

"Howdy Jack," he greeted quietly. Jack frowned, stepping forward curiously to examine the young keyblade wielder. Sora raised an eyebrow as Jack's face was shoved up close to his, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You look like you need rum, savvy?" he commented loudly, turning around and striding back to the digging as Sora followed after him.

"Why would he need _rum_, Jack?" Elizabeth asked sarcastically. "He's fifteen."

"Sixteen, actually," Sora corrected quickly, frowning. Jack frowned and rolled his eyes as if the reasons a sixteen year old would need rum were the most obvious things in the worlds. Ally watched curiously as the conversation started, the repetitive digging of Norrington's shovel echoing on the small sandy isle in the background.

"Many men have run afoul the wrath of a beautiful women," Jack told her in a very 'Captain Sparrow'-ey, matter-of-fact tone. Sora frowned, glaring at the back of his head. "That instance normally calls for rum."

"I don't drink," Sora murmured. He waved off Jack's incredulous look and pointed to Norrington. "What's going on?" Jack nodded, turning to watch James dig.

"What do you know about Davey Jones…?"

And thus the discussion of Jack Sparrow's most recent adventure was told- of Davey Jones, his heart in the chest they were now digging for, the bounty on Jack's head, and the Kraken. At the end of the explanation, Sora slid backwards to stand beside Ally sceptically, catching her eyes before speaking to her in a low tone out of the corner of his mouth.

"You said you were last here when the three days started," he challenged quietly. "But that was four days ago. And you've been with us for two weeks, Ally, give or take." She laughed, violet eyes dancing as she scanned the hole Norrington had dug.

"Mister Sora," she started cheerily, a knowing tone in her light voice, "I never said the time between worlds was the same."

"What do you mean?"

"She means," Donald cut in slowly, taking a breath, "the time lapses so that some worlds may only pass a few minutes while the others eat up days. It lasts for about a week on each world before it settles on the same speed as the rest of the worlds again."

Sora frowned, brow furrowed as he thought it through. "…Why?"

"I don't know- there's no known reason," Donald squawked. Ally nodded, crossing her arms in front of her.

"It just… _is_," he explained softly as James hit something with his shovel, causing a loud thud. Jack, Norrington, and Elizabeth stood around the hole, staring down at the sand covered wooden chest. The three of them pulled it out, ignoring the off-worlders watching the spectacle boredly. Norrington broke the chains of the square box with his trusty shovel and Jack knelt down beside it, pulling open the lid. Inside were papers and letters, quickly sifted through by the three of them until a smaller chest was pulled out, a strange heart shaped lock on the front.

The three pirates leant in closer, attempting to hear the beating heart inside and succeeding quickly.

"It's real," Elizabeth commented doubtfully, causing Ally to murmur under her breath about 'people these days' and how they should be more open minded. Sora smiled softly.

"You actually _were _telling the truth," Norrington shot calmly at Jack, who was still examining the chest.

"I do that quite a lot," he replied quickly. "Yet people are always surprised."

"With good reason!" Everyone turned to the owner of the voice, Elizabeth voicing it first and running towards him happily.

"Will… You're alright, thank god. I came to find you!"

The two of them kissed and Sora's group (not to mention Jack and Norrington) made a point to look away. Jack made a face, curious and wary.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

"Sea turtles, mate," Will replied sarcastically, "a pair of the strapped to my feet."

"Not so easy, is it?"

"But I do owe you thanks, Jack."

"You do?" inquired a confused Jack.

"After you tricked me onto that ship to square your debt with Jones-" Elizabeth's surprised 'what?' was ignored. "-I was reunited with my father." Ally yawned pointedly, tapping herself on the side of the head softly as if to keep herself awake. She turned to Sora and murmured quietly.

"Is there really a point to this? Can't they just get on with the sideshow before fishboy comes?"

Sora chuckled.

"Oh, well… you're welcome then," Jack was replying, trying to divert the blame.

"Everything you said to me- Every word was a lie?" Elizabeth challenged, stepping back up to him. He frowned, thinking quickly, then, in the most Jack Sparrow-ey way, he replied.

"Pretty much." He paused for less than a second. "Time and tide, love." There was a slither of steel as Will drew a knife, starting towards the unattended chest. Jack turned to him. "Oi- what're you doing?"

"I'm going to kill Jones," he replied. Jack drew his cutlass, ignoring Ally as she sat down boredly in the sand, grabbing a handful of it and proceeding to make a new key chain purely out of boredom.

"I can't let you do that William," Jack said, blade pointed at Will. "'Cause if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, 'ey?" Will slouched slightly before standing up, sheathing his knife, and taking a few steps away from the chest, towards Elizabeth. Jack held out his hand. "Now, if you please- the key."

In a swift movement, Will drew his fiancé's cutlass and had it pointed at Jack.

"I keep the promises I make, Jack," he announced boldly. "I intend to free my father- I hope you're here to see it." Another hiss of steel, this time Norrington's blade drawn, pointing at Will.

"I can't let you do that either," he commented quickly, slightly sarcastic as he continued. "So sorry." Jack smiled in approval of him.

"I new you'd warm up to me eventually," he said, lowering his blade and stepping towards him. With a swish, Norrington's blade was pointed at Jack's chest, Will's at James's. Jack frowned and raised his to point at Will again so they were in a triangle.

"Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest," James explained. "I deliver it- I get my life back." Jack made a comprehending noise.

"Ah! The dark side of ambition."

"Oh, I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption." And they were clashing blades, starting onto the sandy plateau towards the tree-covered mainland. Elizabeth ran after them as Will was pushed over, crouched at his side.

"Guard the chest!" he told her, jumping up and starting after the other two (and the key) and leaving her behind.

"_No!_" she retorted angrily, hopping up and started after them. "This is barbaric!" she shouted, trying to get them to stop. "This is no way for grown men to try to- Ohh, _fine! _Let's just _pull _out our swords and start banging awayat each other! That will solve everything! I've had it! I've had it with swarmily legged, rotten pirates!" And with that she picked up a rock and began to lob it, and others of it's kind, towards the three fighting men, much to Ally's amusement. Two other pirates stood behind her, evaluating the situation before they would decide to steal the chest.

"Enough!" Elizabeth shouted, still ignored. She frowned, deciding on a different tactic. She wobbled, waving her arms and exclaiming. "Oh, oh, the heat!" and collapsed on the ground, eyes open to see them turn to help her. Yet again, she was met with absolutely no response, not even noticed in the slightest. She sat cross legged in the sand, angry, glancing to the chest stealing pirates as they ran past with the wooden masterpiece, before getting up and following them, figuring out she would otherwise be ignored completely.

Ally and Sora watched the three other pirates continue to hack away at each other rather boredly as Ally stood up and held out the new keychain for Sora, a tassley looking thing of shiny golden thread, exactly like what was on the end of the higher-ranking English military swords. He twirled it in his fingers, glancing back out to the three pirates as Donald and Goofy announced they were going to check on the Black Pearl itself and it's crew. The other three stood there for a few moments longer, watching the scene. Then Ally rolled her eyes pointedly, knowing that her comment would be ignored by the pirates.

"Use your guns, newbs…"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

The three of them- Riku, Sora, and Ally- had started off into the forest after the chest, deciding that the most danger would be with the treasure itself, and finding themselves correct. Sora raised an eybrow.

"What the hell are they?" Sora exclaimed, grinning in spite of the situation as he clipped the Cutlass key chain onto his keyblade and watching as it turned into a regular sword, not unlike Norrington's from when he was still enlisted and highly ranked. He smiled as he twirled the light blade, watching the deformed beings stumble towards them as Elizabeth and the two pirates disappeared in the other direction.

"FISH PEOPLE!" Ally shouted happily, moving to intercept the party with delight. Riku frowned, starting after her.

"Ally…" he started. "Shouldn't we be running _away _from the fish people?" Ally turned and frowned at him.

"_Mis_ter _Ri_ku," she said, laying stress on each different syllable. "They're _fish people_." Sora quirked an eyebrow as she stated the obvious yet again. "You can't run away from _fish people_, you can only totally obliterate them."

"Sounds fun," the brunette added, grabbing her shoulder as he started towards the fish people himself and pulling her along with him. Riku frowned and shook his head as they ran towards the approaching mob. Before heading after the two of them, he thought over how he always seemed to get dragged into the bad situations and it was a wonder that he didn't catch on long before and start jumping into these fights headfirst just for the hell of it. Shaking off his reluctance quickly, he uttered one sound and started slowly after them.

"Hn."

And so, battle with the fish people began, covering the green and brown earth with fish-smelling slime and various fish guts.

At one point, a huge wooden wheel rolled past, three figures clashing steel in the timber circle. Sora stopped dead, watching blankly while Ally and Riku stood to either side of him with funny expressions on their faces aswell, their keyblades in their hands and their expressions worthy of Captain Jack Sparrow, even the fish people joining in the motionlessness. Sora grunted a laugh.

"Well, _that's_ something you don't see every day…" He glanced up as a shadow passed overhead, following after the wheel- or more accurately, the three people on it. He frowned. "Can't they give us a break? Parasitic shadows _and _fish people?" he complained, turning on his heel and leaving the other two with the fish people for a moment alone, before they exchanged a glance and shot after him, leaving the still stunned crew of Davey Jones standing in the forest curiously.

He laughed as he heard a short yell from them and the crew was after them.

"To the beach, Sora?" Ally asked loudly, speeding through the thin jungle. He frowned.

"I'll meet you there." And he split away from them, heading towards where he knew he would meet his shadow induced foe.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

He stopped dead in the middle of the small clearing and sat down, crossing his legs and closing his eyes as he waited.

_**I wonder what it would've felt like to kiss her.**_

_Shut up, Aros._

_**Hey, Saor brought it up!**_

**No I did NOT! Stop blaming me, you useless git.**

Well, FINE then. Sorry if I was wondering why this barnacle head knew the girl for so bloody long and never KISSED her.

_Because I'm not an indecent prat like you._

…_**Touché…**_

Sora rolled his eyes for a moment before his face broke out with a half formed grin and he stood up. The boy had a point, after all. There was a snapping of twigs behind him, and he turned slowly, coming face to face with a strangely shadowed Norrington.

"What a shame," Sora said to him, knowing no response would be given though the words would be sent to Vasaar directly. "I was looking forward to meeting another chaser." He frowned and scratched the back of his head characteristically. "Guess you're disappointing me, Vasaar."

Norrington gave a short yell, swinging a sword in a quick and dangerous movement. Sora frowned again, meeting the blade with his own. He didn't know why the shadow was insistent, but he knew the fundamentals of the process. It clouded the pirate's senses, made him angry beyond reason. And he wasn't seeing Sora in front of him- he was seeing whoever he hated most. Sora laughed.

"You think I won't kill- especially not a friend," he realised loudly, battering away the pirate's sword. "Like I said, Vasaar. Disappointing."

There was a flash before he connected blades again, bright and blinding. Then everything was dark- pitch black, before it was fading back into light, picture moving in slow motion.

He didn't know how it happened, and he no longer found he had the natural curiosity to question how it happened- it just _was_. Full stop, end, nothing more. It was just another fact. The fact being that he was on his knees, cutlass idly in hand. He was staring, not making a move as Norrington's blade fell towards him. He didn't question it at all. It just was.

He watched the sword arc towards him in slow motion, waiting for the blow to split him in half, finding that he wasn't even a little afraid. Death was… what? Better, or worse? Sure, he was a little afraid of what would happen to him after he died- he didn't believe in reincarnation, of that he was sure. Perhaps a place in Kingdom Hearts was in order, but he was open to the concept of nothingness. Not a very appealing concept, of course, but acceptable. And the other concept would have been heaven and hell, but that was disputable.

Where would he go, anyway?

Him saving the worlds twice had to count for _something_, right? But that didn't stop him from ticking off all the bad things he'd done. And wondering what hell would be like. Of course- he knew quite well what his version of heaven would be, but the night before, the very idea of it had shattered right in front of his eyes. How he wished he could forget the taste of it, still lingering in his senses.

Why was that?

He frowned, realising his whole contemplation had taken place in only a moment. The sharp steel blade arced towards him, still in slow motion as he stood there, not even bothering to try and block the attack. The thought hadn't crossed his mind once, actually. He could stop the blow and kill the man in front of him to live on. He'd live, but he knew he wouldn't live with himself. And the pirate was beyond any rational sense of rage- the attacks wouldn't stop at his parry. So he let the sword fall towards him.

Then it stopped. _Everything_ stopped, James taking a step forward in shock and the sword falling from his hand. He fell to the side after it, to lie on the ground infront of Sora. He frowned, staring past the fallen figure to the redhead standing behind him. She looked frantic and determined, all in the same expression, azure eyes glimmering with something resembling hope as she stared back at him, True Heart in hand. He kept his frown and turned to see a shadow seep out of James's back through a strange red glow.

The shine dimmed, disappearing as the shadow slipped away, heading towards the sandy isle where he could hear the others fighting. Norrington jerked on the floor, looking up in confusion to see what had happened as Sora lifted his Cutlass and stared at his bloody hand curiously, wondering why it was bloody, exactly. Then he raised his sword comically.

"After that shadow!" And he was off, chasing the dark smudge to the beach while Kairi started after him dismally, noting that he hadn't actually said a thing to her. She sighed, her heart aching painfully in her chest. She heard Norrington starting after her and quickened her pace after Sora.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Oomph!"

"Sora, this is no time to _lay down_!" Ally hissed, grinning happily as her keyblade slashed into a member of Davey Jones's crew with a particularly ugly head in the form of a hermit crab, the shell surrounding it's cranium while the rest of it's pale, slimy body was thin and wiry, but human-like, like most of the others. It staggered back, but regained it's composure even as it's head fell off, one of the other fish people grabbed the falling skull and slammed it back together. Ally grunted.

"You need practise, barnacle head," Sora commented sarcastically, still not moving as he attempted to squish the shadow he was on top of, feeling the parasitic matter struggle below him. He squirmed as it slipped through his fingers, continuing it's beeline for William in the sand. He crawled after it a little, slamming his fists into the sand where it had been, occasionally knicking the edges of it. He was half on his feet, still half crawling, when he took a leap for it, crushing it again in the process.

"Can I kill it?" Ally asked childishly as she glanced at his workings. He grinned, turning to her, and rolled in the sand, throwing the shadow towards her. With a flash, it was pinned to the ground, writhing in the sand with the Staff of Keys protruding from it greyish form. It convulsed once more before shuddering into stillness, slowly dissipating from the world. Sora cheered and jumped to his feet.

He frowned, baring his Cutlass with a small twirl. His heart fluttered softly and he pouted boredly, a strange feeling flaring up in his stomach.

"I feel a drive form coming on," he murmured loudly, causing Ally to glance at him curiously and Riku to grunt non-commitingly.

"And you delight us with this information, _why_?" Donald quacked exasperatedly, waddling past and letting off a thundaga spell. Sora frowned again, still ignoring Kairi, who was on Riku's other side. His face scrunched up as he tried to figure out the strange feeling.

"'Cause I've never felt this one before."

There was a flash of white light, emanating from his heart, before his clothes were changed to that of a pirate's- an airy white shirt reaching to his forearms, a grey tunic, just a little too big to fit right, but as such fitting perfectly. Dark brown pants, faded black, slightly longer than knee jacket, a leather strap diagonally across his chest with a large, engraved, metal buckle, holding a sheath for his cutlass to his side. Brown leather boots and a thin belt around his waist (holding a knife or two and a sheath for each) nearly completed the ensemble, but not quite as his hair was covered with a Jack Sparrow-like red bandana and leather pirate hat. He also noted that his fingers were adorned with assorted rings. He grinned.

"Suh-weet," he announced happily, pulling off his hat curiously as he parried a sword stroke from one of the fish people subconsciously. Ally pouted at him.

"I-I-I want one," she whined, making him grin. He reached over and tapped her on the side of the head, as she often did to him, humbling her slightly.

"You've got a staff and mysterious super _chaser _powers," he told her quickly. "You'll get over it." She smiled and shook her head while Riku turned to Donald and rolled his eyes blankly.

"The sad thing here is," he started quietly, throwing his own keyblade at one of the fish people. "She's actually older than me."

"She is?" Donald asked.

"I am?" Ally asked also, twirling around to look at him doubtfully. He quirked an eyebrow. Sora chuckled.

"Five thousand, Ally," he reminded her. "You are." She pouted again, and threw her staff at one of the fish people boredly, thwacking him in the head and frowning as he fell backwards, unconscious.

"That all counts now?"

"If you want to get technical about it, you could say I'm _seven_ thousand years of age, Ally," Sora told her loudly. "Is that in any way comforting?"

"For me, yes," she said lightly, giggling. "For you- I don't think so."

"So true."

They stopped talking for a moment as the fish people drove them back to Jack's dinghy. As such, they picked up Jack's conversation.

"Leave him alone unless you're going to use him to hit something with," Jack advised quickly as the fish people started in around them and Elizabeth started for a knocked out Will.

"Young Master William would make a good battering ram," Sora agreed, backing up beside the pirate soundly. He grinned as one of the fish people with the head of a hammerhead shark (the bosun, was it?) stepped toward him, trying to be intimidating. He swung his cutlass in a small circle, watching the sharkheaded man warily before sending the keyblade flying towards Davey Jones's charge with a flick of his wrist. It hit home in the opponent's shoulder, making him recoil in pain. "But I haven't the time to use him." He flinched sarcastically as he saw the fish man stand up straight with a laugh and reach to pull the sword out of his shoulder. "I'm losing my aim," he commented briefly, watching as the blade disappeared from the bosun's shoulder just as he was about to grip it, and reappear in the keyblade master's hand.

Before he knew it, Norrington was rushing past them with the chest, exclaiming about leading them away. The fish people chased him, leaving the rest of them alone. They started back to the black pearl quickly, leaving the shore behind, Sora engaging in a quick and pointless conversation with Ally that no one else could keep up with, or even _understand_, trying to avoid eye contact (or any contact, really) with Kairi. Riku frowned, emerald eyes scanning the water quietly as he searched for any sign of the dark shadow of the Kraken. He caught Sora's attention quickly, mindful of the boy's plan, and pointed out to the horizon where the darkened ocean was shown by only a tiny speck. Sora stared at what his friend was pointing at for a moment, expression blank as his cerulean eyes reflected the image of the sea.

Then he grinned.

The pieces were sliding into place.

It was almost his move.

* * *

This chapter took me an age to write 'cause I needed POTC 2 and my friend took a week to not even give it to me. I swear, she forgets everything. So I wrote bits and pieces and pieced it together while I watched the movie- after I convinced mum that it was absolutely VITAL that we went to Video Ezy for a movie I've seen only… what- twenty times? I can quote most of the start of the third movie :).

Also, ever noticed how the movie channels never show the movies you really want to watch until six weeks after you forget about it entirely. Lame. POTC2 was on the repetitive for the last six or seven months on movie one, but right when I WANT to watch it again, it's NO LONGER ON!

Cookies to all the people that press the purpley-blue button.

Press It.

You know you want to.

If you haven't heard me sing, be damned proud. Next chapter is last on POTC plotline… bu-u-u-ut maybe I'll drag it on for another.

'Till next time Duckies…


	23. Inmates And Intoxication

Disclaimer: TADA! I BOUGHT THE SQUARE ENIX, DISNEY, AND ALL THINGS KINGDOM HEARTS RELATED TODAY! Not… psssssh, what are you, stupid?

**butaNENG: I've given you plenty of cookies (figurative cookies, anyway...). 'Tis funny. Ya sed ya weren't gonna say 'tense', but in doing so, you said tense so it doesn't work. Wanna know 'frivolous' was my word of the month for the last three months, really, and my new word is 'asinine'. Look,I know it's annoying, and I'm sorry, but the scanner incident is going down in HISTORY! And yes, pirates pwn. And rofl, screw Norrington, pfft...**

**Zero (because I can't be bothered with the 'maru chaos mode' part, and you're now named after your character): lol, I'll see your dead dragon and it's cake and raise you TRANQUILLISER DARTS! Just you wait, they're coming... I just randomly thought of a pirate form, so shoot me. Hey, wondering, may I embody Zero as a chaser? Just wondering, feel free to say no.**

**Batty Koda: If you're up to here, I would like to say THANKYOU! It's rare I get writing advice, and I'm keeping it in mind. :)**

**Archangel127: Oh yes, Sora's going down...**

**bookwormally: I really don't think I update that quickly, but if you say so... And, glad you like the story.**

**RoxasTheOther: lol, you think that's a good song- I walked down the street the other day after school with my (strangely emo) friend, trying to cheer her up 'cause her friend in Alaska got hit by a car or something and she was being a real killjoy. So that goes into a discussion about how, since this guy lives in the country, basically in the middle of nowhere, and got hit by a CAR, I thought he should've been run over by a horse and cart. Really, I got her laughing insanely in moments. Then she went quiet again, so I said "I'm not going to stop shouting until you laugh, miss!" and started basically screaming (in that non-girlish way) lyrics to various gay sounding songs- went something like... "I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty, and witty and gay, I feel stunning, and I don't know the rest of the words, so- I feel so beautiful today, BA BA BA BA BA BADA BA! You're just so typical, you can't break me!" 'Twas funny.**

**Ace31592: Okay, I changed the spelling- but as they say in the movie "It's a mythological creature, I'll say it however I wants!" Thankyoo for revieooing :) lol, intentional typo. Thanks for reading too.**

**TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran: Ah... suggestions for new characters would be appreciated! I need new chasers and stuff, so even if they aren't chasers I'll stuff them in here somewhere. Almost easter holidays (we have easter, then two or three more weeks of school, then the holidays- wtf?), which means I'll probably do some more excess writing again...**

**Sora-Kairi-4-ever: FINALLY! YOU REVIEWED! AHHA! Happy easter :) And thank you for the cookies :) Happy I spelt it Ally, too, I am. LOL, we all do victory dances for the death of Ferny, do we not? No, no kiss for poor Mister Sora yet. Too bad.**

WARNING: chapter speech not quite as spot on as it was last chapter…

…Did you know I took a chess set to school the other day? I'm picking things up off my character here. Scary.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three (I can't think of anything significant for this…)**

"I've got a jar of di-irt, I've got a jar of di-irt, and you can't guess what's inside it!"

The ship rocked again and most of the off world crew gripped onto something while Sora and Ally stood alone like the rest of the pirate crew, unwavering as if nothing had happened. Sora frowned.

"Jack," he started loudly, slightly doubtful. "He's like… a god of death, savvy? Probably best not to insult him." Jack smiled cheekily.

"Ah- maybe if we couldn't stop him," the captain replied matter-of-factly. Ally sidled up to Sora slowly, a sceptical look on her face. Her brow furrowed in thought as she leaned in closer to him and whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

"You saw Norrington steal the heart out of the jar, right?" she asked doubtfully. Sora nodded, dragging out his answer.

"Ye-e-e-e-e-ep…" he replied quietly, staring boredly at Jack.

"And that's the only way to kill Davey Jones, right?"

"Ye-e-e-e-e-ep…"

"We're screwed, aren't we?" she asked dully, louder this time, standing up straight beside him.

"Pretty much," he agreed. Sora turned to her slightly and grinned. "You've got the plan down, right?" She nodded, reaching into the pocket of her cargos to pull out and unwrap a brightly coloured lollipop with a bored look on her face.

"Do everything Mister Riku says and make sure everyone goes to the right places." She smiled, sticking the lollypop in her mouth so the plastic stick lolled out the side. Sora chuckled.

"Before I make my move, Ash," he started slowly. "Anything I throw to you two, you keep for the time being, got it? Don't let it go until my move's up."

She grinned knowingly. "Tha's not just stationary object yer speaking of, is it?" she more stated than questioned, too lazy to say her words right. He chuckled and nodded, starting to the side of the ship, humming under his breath as the Flying Dutchman fell behind them and the Black Pearl caught the wind in it's sails. Jack had dropped his jar of dirt somewhere along the way, smashing it on the lower deck and spilling dirt everywhere. He scrabbled through it in search of a heart that wasn't there, earning a blank glance from Sora before he jumped onto the rail and stared out to sea boredly, one hand gripping the ropey ladder leading to the crow's nest. 

The edges of his lips tugged up slightly in a slightly sardonic smile as he sighted the approaching dark spot on the water, moving quickly now because of the call from it's master. Riku walked up, leaning his arms on the rail to one side of Sora while Ally hoisted herself up to sit on the dark wooden banister, heels kicking carelessly into the wooden side of the ship.

"I enjoy the sea, Mister Sora," she said distantly, happy. "It flows and moves and never stops." She paused thoughtfully and glanced at him curiously before staring back out to sea. "Sometimes it's angry, and sometimes it's calm, and sometimes it does the most horrible things," she said matter-of-factly, "but without it we aren't the same. The sea works with the sky and the land and it's a part of who we are." She hesitated again, glancing at him, then at Riku, then to the rest of their friends around the ship. She grunted softly, more feminine than anything Riku could, should, or would ever manage (and thank god for that). "Fancy that."

He chuckled softly and looked down slightly, seeming a little depressed, far enough for her to see his eyes staring blankly at the sea below them, but not far enough to connect gazes. There was a flash of crimson over his regular cerulean and a slight smoking of black flames started to simmer at his right hand.

"It's almost my move."

She nodded, turning to watch Donald and Goofy standing near the mast, Donald clearly lecturing the princess for not staying at the castle. The raven-haired girl frowned, turning back to her two male friends to see Sora's gaze return to the sea as the Black Pearl came to an abrupt stand-still, as if beached, and William regained order over the ship and told them of the new danger. The preparations began, gunpowder filling the net hauled over the centre of the ship. Gibbs spoke up then.

"We're out of gunpowder. We only had half a dozen barrels." Will looked at him sceptically while Sora was still stationary, eyeing the horizon distantly as he ignored the problem, knowing full well that Jack had slipped off the ship some time recently. 

"Then load the rum!" there was a simultaneous groan from the crew (including Mister Gibbs) before Gibbs spoke up in defeat. 

"Aye… the rum…"

And so the rum was sacrificed for the highly flammable package hanging above the ship's deck. Ally grinned evilly as she watched the hanging net of doom, pulling the silver flask from her hip slowly. Riku saw her and returned to her side inquiringly.

"This is flammable, Mister Riku," she informed him softly as she unscrewed the cap and threw the clear liquid all over the waiting inferno. She knew he'd believe it, and that was enough. The ship rocked slightly and Sora stared straight down from his perch on the railing. He grinned, slightly pointed fangs going unnoticed by even himself. He could almost hear the dramatic organ music playing as a mess of huge tentacles rose out of the water on all side of the ship. He smiled slightly, still not moving while the tentacles fell down onto the dark wood, wrapping around the ship tightly while the pirates tried to fight them off in vain. He stood unfazed as shouts rang behind him, Will stuck in the roping of the giant bomb breaking through the netting just as Jack (who subtly returned to the ship as it was under attack, unable to bring himself to such treacherous acts more for the ship's sake than the crew's) let a bullet fly to set it in flames while the kraken's huge tentacles were wrapped around it.

Singed, burned and flaming tentacles retracted back into the sea, leaving the pirates to cheer again.

"We haven't killed it," Gibbs informed them. "We just made it angry."

More preparations were made, the dinghies lowered into the water quickly as the crew filed in, a few items taken with them. And still, Sora stood alone, eyes scanning the far off horizon as he thought. The deck was almost empty, only Jack bidding a last goodbye to the Black Pearl, and Riku and Ally standing behind the stationary boy on the side opposite to the waiting crew.

"Am I making the right decision, Ally?" the brunette asked as Elizabeth set in motion her grand master plan of getting Jack to stay on board. Ally frowned, keeping silent for a moment as Riku listened for her answer too.

"Mister Sora…" she started softly. "…I don't know what to tell you. I've never been in a place like yours, and it's quite possible that I can fix what I've done this time, so I never will. But Mister Sora… if you believe what you are doing is right, and your heart is telling you the same as your head… then you are." He didn't turn to her and she sighed softly as Riku grunted, thinking about his own opinion.

"Sora," he started quietly, a tone in his voice the other boy hadn't heard before. "What you choose to do today… has to be right by you, not anybody else. It doesn't matter whether or not it's right by me, Ally, Kai, Donald, Jack, Goofy… It doesn't matter if it's right by the king, either." He paused thoughtfully as Sora turned to him, blue eyes glinting with a sadness that was being covered with his determination. There was a grim ghost of a smile on his lips, and Riku answered with his own emerald gaze, lodging a sense into the boy by an understanding reached only by two as close as brothers. "It's your choice, not ours."

Sora grinned, accepting the older boy's opinion. "We should set this in motion, then." Ally and Riku both nodded, turning around to head to the dinghy and sighting Kairi walking towards them. Ally frowned, feeling out of place and quickened her pace to the other side of the ship, passing her quickly, with Riku on her other side before they disappeared down into the dinghy. Kairi stopped a metre away from Sora, both of them ignoring Elizabeth and Jack. They were in silence for few moments.

"I didn't mean it at the castle," she started quietly, wanting him to turn to her. "I didn't mean any of it. That's why Christian brought me here." He took a breath, standing up a little straighter before replying.

"Yes you did." He turned around slowly and hopped down to the deck beside her, barely making eye contact. "If you were deceived so easily, you were willing to be. You meant every word." He passed her quickly, eyes diverted to the floor as he headed for the other side of the ship. She followed him after a moment of shock- he'd known she was enchanted. She tried to get in front of him as he reached the gap in the railing that everyone had gone through to get to the boats. He froze, eyes caught by hers, only centimetres away from him. 

"You never let me talk," she murmured breathlessly, feeling his warm breath on her face as she stared into his eyes, semi mesmerised. He chuckled softly, barely making a sound.

"I never will," he told her quietly, quickly closing the gap between them, much to her surprise. His lips pressed against hers for a moment, only a few seconds, but no more. Time seemed to stop for that one moment as she delighted in the feeling of his soft lips. The taste was lingering for a long time afterwards, too- sweet and lasting. But a bitterness was hidden in the notion as her shock allowed him to push her off the side of the ship. She was caught by Riku and held down by him and Ally, Elizabeth soon following after, but in her case, willingly.

Kairi didn't struggle in the slightest, but she still wasn't let go. Sora stood at the edge of the deck, waving them off as they started to row back to the nearby island, eyes downcast. He smiled slightly, glancing at all of the off-worlders, but not one of them in particular.

"Don't forget me this time," he called softly before turning on his heel and walking towards the (not that they knew) tied up Captain Jack Sparrow. They left him behind with sad faces and regret, pirates and off-worlders alike, one of them with her fingers on her lips and her eyes wide as the effect finally sunk in. He kissed her.

_He_ kissed _her_. Consciously. And it tasted really, _really_ good.

Of course, he did push her off a ship currently being attacked by giant tentacles (why was that again?), no doubt about that. And so far engrossed in the fact that he had, in reality, pressed his lips against hers, she forgot about the fact that he was about to die.

_Again._

Meanwhile, he was helping a very annoyed, possibly scared, Jack Sparrow out of the chains keeping him on the about-to-be sunken ship. He laughed as the pirate stood beside him, facing the multi-toothed, foul smelling mouth of the kraken, which had latched onto the side of the Black Pearl at some point as it tried to devour the ship whole. They both faced it with mildly disgusted faces as it roared (or burped… or whatever…) and all manner of disgusting, slimy things were flung upon them.

Sora wiped the goo from his eyes with distaste, shaking it off towards the ground as he noticed Jack doing the same thing before staring at something the kraken had spat up with delight, strangely enough, and letting out a small "ah!". Jack leant down to pick it up, slamming his hat back on his head before turning to look questioningly at Sora.

"Why would you _choose_ to be here, mate?" he asked in a solid Jack Sparrow tone. Sora smiled a little.

"Because," he replied, loud and quiet at the same time, a sad and yet cheerful tone in place. "I've got a better deal where we're going." Jack frowned before letting out his trademark phrase (a/n. pretty sure it was vacant in the last movie. As in, he didn't say it. We were disappointed.). 

"Bugger."

Then they turned back to the kraken's mouth to face what they were about to do, both drawing their cutlasses and taking a battle pose before Jack issued a challenge to it (knowing full-well that it wouldn't understand, of course) and they both leapt into their doom, slashing at the many and sharp teeth of a fate worse than death.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Hmph… Peanut!" 

"Jesus, Jack likes his peanuts," Saor mentioned doubtfully, standing stationary on the mast as Aros crawled up to him on the sail. The grey-eyed one frowned at his other's antics, scanning around them for a sign of-"

"He's disappeared," Aros told him bluntly, sitting down on the wood, feet dangling over the edge to hit the black, patched sail. Saor frowned, one arm across his chest as his other elbow rested on his arm and he drummed his fingers on the side of his face.

"What do you mean disappeared?" he asked suspiciously, eyeing his other curiously. Aros glanced at him and shrugged.

"Don't take that tone with me- I can't hurt him here, remember?" he asked rhetorically, kicking at the sail boredly. "Disappeared means he's gone, Saor."

"That can't be good," Saor commented dully, staring out of the wide stone plain that was Davey Jones's locker. It was awful bland, a note that they both realised but neither voiced. It was pointless, after all.

"Cuttlefish."

"Huh?"

"Wasn't me, Saor," Aros murmured, standing up boredly. They both turned immediately to the crow's nest a little beside them before their gaze flickered simultaneously down to the deck past the two sails beneath them before turning to the crow's nest again.

"How'd you do that?" Saor asked loudly, watching the boy leaning out of the crows nest stare out at him confusedly. He pointed down. "How'd you get up here without us noticing?" Sora frowned thoughtfully, eyes glazed over and slightly crossed. Saor turned accusingly to Aros, glaring meaningfully. "You were listening when we came on-world, weren't you," he stated, not even questioning the fact. Aros grinned sheepishly.

"How'd you know?" he asked, mocking modesty. Saor shook his head disappointedly, still glaring. 

"You intoxicated him," he stated bluntly, making his other feel slightly shameful. "He's useless when he's drunk, Aros- even you should know that!" Sora was watching them boredly, head cocked to the side and mouth hanging open. He grinned.

"I said 'cuttlefish', Mister," the azure-eyed boy stated, watching them curiously and climbing onto the ledge of the crow's nest with really bad balance. He put out his arms to gain his footing as his others followed him with their eyes. "Cuttlefish hold the answer."

"To what?" Aros asked suspiciously, meeting Sora's gleaming, bewildered and innocent eyes with his own glinting yellow ones. They stared for a moment before Sora grinned.

"Everything," he replied knowingly, walking on the thin wooden edge of the crow's nest childishly.

"Everything?" Saor asked doubtfully.

"Everything," Sora repeated, speech slurred but knowing.

"Cuttlefish." Aros frowned. "Cuttlefish is the answer to everything."

"Indeed it is," Sora confirmed, words slightly garbled. Aros and Saor exchanged a sceptical look before turning back to their third and frowning.

"And you're absolutely sure of this, Mister Sora?" Aros asked sarcastically. Sora smiled widely and nodded simply. 

"Mister Saor, Mister Aros," he acknowledged loudly, hopping off the crow's nest to land awkwardly on the beam they were standing on and walking slowly out to the side at an ungainly pace. "I bid you good day!" Then he jumped off the edge, floating towards the ground slowly and picking up on bits and pieces of Jack's conversation with himself as he went.

"…feculent maggots… Well why'd he do a thing like that? 'Cause he's a lummox, isn't he," Jack was saying, the entire sentence filling the drunken boy's ears. "Well we're going to have a magnificent garden party and you're not invited."

Sora grinned, sighting Jack and aiming instead for the other side of the ship as he spotted a moving rock. He smiled distantly and landed beside it, before picking it up and holding it near his ear to listen to it's clicks. He nodded, somehow understanding it through his drunken daze. Possibly because he was _in_ a drunken daze. And so he placed the crab back on the stone floor and shot off in a sprint-like stumble in the direction it told him to head in, hoping that some time soon, he would hit the shore.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Witty Jack is closer than you think," Tia Dalma informed them quietly, a few random and lone cuttlefish sliding away from her towards the water. Kairi's eyes scanned the huge dunes in front of them for any sign of her fallen lover and his companion. She noticed that Riku sat down randomly on the sand, pulling a piece of the driftwood wreckage towards him and drawing on it aimlessly with something sharp. 

Ally stood near him, but not extremely close, her Riku-Ally-bonding-time for the week thoroughly spent from their trip with the pirates to Singapore and world's end. 

"It's not Jack we're here for," Donald murmured darkly, still distraught from his long time companion's death (as he did, technically, die). Goofy put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him. Everyone turned around, heads jerking up as something flew over a nearby dune with a short yell, landing at Kairi's feet. He groaned, staying still for a moment before he moved his arm.

"Now that's something you don't see everyday," Ally commented briefly, stepping towards him. Kairi stared at the boy as he started to get up, eyes gleaming for a moment with delight as she saw Sora.

But she knew it wasn't him.

His hair was in the old style, entirely spiky. And when he looked up at her, she was met with grey eyes, not cerulean blue. She frowned, waiting eagerly to hear the boy speak, but he didn't get the chance. Before they knew it, there was yet another Unidentified Flying Object hurtling towards them over the dune, landing roughly on the still half grounded brunette and crushing him awkwardly. There was a moment's silence before they both groaned and started to get up.

"I _told_ you it was a bad idea," the first one said to the second. They both looked to the dune for a second, cocking their heads to the same side before the second one stiffened and turned to Kairi quickly, placing one hand behind his head and smiling with slight fangs and yellow eyes. The grey-eyed one glanced at him, then at her. "And _that's_ not a good idea either."

"Well _hello_ there. Nice to meet you," he said smoothly, ignoring the first one. There was a short roar before yet another figure flew over the dune, landing on the yellow-eyed boy's back with only a small force so the Sora look-alike stumbled but didn't fall until the attacker picked him up and threw him into the dune, making the yellow-eyed man disappear far into the sand. The grey-eyed one rolled his eyes as the third took a step towards the second's resting place before faltering and turning around to see the auburn haired girl behind him. Crimson eyes met azure and an understanding was thrown between them moments before she was in his arms, her hands grasping his shirt tightly as she laid her head on his shoulders. He stumbled a little before he wrapped his arms around her too, staring at her red locks in wonder, still under the influence.

He smiled distantly, his fingers running through her soft hair slowly as she buried herself into his shirt, clutching him as close to her as was physically possible. Saor watched for a moment before turning back to the dune Aros was under in time to see Jack Sparrow sail the Black Pearl over said dune. Saor winced.

"Wouldn't fancy _that_," he murmured, waiting for the Black Pearl to return to the water before moving to find his third. Sora growled slightly, letting go of Kairi quickly and slipping away from her as the Black Pearl found it's way into the sea and Jack hopped down from his position on the mast to anchor the ship and organise a boat to return to shore. He started towards the dune, stumbling slightly as he went, and crouched a few metres away from the mound, crimson eyes fixed on the place Aros had been thrown in.

Ally stepped up beside Saor with an intrigued look on her face, staring at the brunette curiously.

"What's he doing?" she asked softly, attracting the grey-eyed boy's gaze.

"You're the smart one," he commented quickly, taking in her appearance quickly before turning back to Sora, one arm crossed and a place for his elbow as he held up his chin boredly. "He's waiting."

"For Aros," she added, barely even questioning it. Saor nodded quickly.

"Yep! He's been getting rather venomous lately," he explained loudly. "He was calm when we got here though…" He trailed off thoughtfully, tapping the side of his face curiously until he moved, lacing his fingers together behind his head in the most Sora-like way possible. "…until Aros walked in, anyway. He got very angry. Said something about… egging him on to kill someone. I missed that part, apparently. I don't remember it happening." Ally nodded.

"Bet I can guess," she said. "Flamboyant guy, ugly, with an annoying girly keyblade, total jerk…" She started ticking each thing off on her fingers. "…bad fashion sense, still wearing the fluro pink shirt he wore at New Years, two months ago…" She frowned. "I can keep going you know." He snorted and nodded quickly, acknowledging the fact.

"Sora didn't do it," he pointed out after a moment. "So to get him back for it, Aros decided he wouldn't help on Sora's birthday, just so he'd kill his friends."

"He didn't."

"What you told him in the moments before he finished the transformation was all that saved you, Ally," he told her simply. "A respectful proposition. But anyway, he may not have killed Mister Andre yet, but I wouldn't recommend that Andre gets any further on his bad side." Ally nodded, staying silent in reply. 

Sora was growling, fingers tracing in the sand as his patience was tested but he still refused to move. Kairi frowned, looking after him curiously, her need to see him dimmed down after the initial reunion. And even as she watched, Sora stiffened further, statue-like in the whitish-yellow sand, and a moment later the double in the dune burst out, sand flying in all directions as he made a lunge for his other.

* * *

Argh! Hurrah! My writer's block has passed!

…sort of…

CHYAH! 'Till next time, Duckies.


	24. Tranquilisers Make Bad Impressions

Disclaimer: Don't own it

Disclaimer 2: Don't own it. Seriously.

**The Brightshadow: Rofl, I like vampires, okay? I can ingrain it with ANYTHING!! MUAHAHAHA! Chyah, Ally isn't the MOST original, but she does well enough, y'know? Glad you like the story, and glad I don't make you sick with the angst. Scratch that- REALLY glad I don't make you sick with the angst, lol.  
The KeybladeWar's-Veteran: Booyah! Characters would be muchly appreciated. Imagine up a chaser for me and I'll bring them in somewhere in the next few chapters.  
Sora-Kairi-4-ever: I enjoy confusing people, can't you tell? Lol with the 'they kissed' rant- it brightened up another rather shitty day for me.  
****Cw Clark: SHEESH!! Am I really that predictable? You're right- if I kill people off, they must die in some unique, horrible, memorable way. I think it's less Riku's denial of the fact, more Ally's lack of knowledge of the feeling, but I guess it's debatable...  
RoxasTheOther: Chyaaaaaahhh... Might you then suggest a random funny song for me to waste time listening to?  
Ace31592: Well... Well known fact: The Black Pearl is home to quite a number of alcoholic, rum-drinking pirates. As such, THERE WILL BE RUM!! And Sora drank it. So, there's the drunkeness...  
Juniper Lightning: Glad you like it.  
_Zero (again with the name shortening:) )_: Lol, same thing about the confusing of people from me, further down the page. Uh, that list of WHY you mighta been confused was VERY entertaining, by the way. Made me laugh. Yes, list of mentalities for Zero so he shall become a chaser... MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! I'm bored and YOU take a long time to update, Mister, so have some caffeine and start typing!!  
butaNENG: Chyah! Basic maths- 2+2cuttlefish!! I enjoyed those cookies, they were good. And I've never had anyone quote an entire paragraph back to me in a review, lol, so you own. Lol, he's still not all that macho, taking so long to kiss her, right? I WOULD listen to that song, but my computer sucks, I have writer's block (so updating's a BITCH!), and what happened to the picture? Amongst all the face scanning, we seem to have lost it somewhere along the way...**

**  
**

Ever fought with your best friend over absolutely NOTHING!? I have. I frequently do. It normally winds up with me having a new best friend, which is kind of sad. But I like the conflict, so 'tis bound to happen.

This time I have a reason to fight her though, which is actually even sadder. See, it revolves around bowling, younger guys, and a massive ditching. Can you guess how it went?

Chyah, well, I've been thinking that I write an extremely large amount. As such, I'm kind of skipping over bits and pieces in chapters, as you may have already noticed, so there might be time gaps and stuff here and there, which is kind of anti-climactic, but unless you want to be reading the same page for a couple of hours at a time, necessary. I'm promising not to skip the important details though! Also, if the dialogue doesn't quite match the movie, it's because I don't remember quite how it went and I don't have the third movie with me... I will try to get it though...

Sorry if I confused you last chapter. Sorry if I confuse you more _this _chapter. Really, I am, but it makes sense in _my _head… Guess my head's a little screwy, chyah?

'Cycloptic' is my new word!!

WARNING: Possible Chaser Ahead!

ALERT: Tranquillisers give bad impressions!

* * *

**Chap-a-mer-ter Twenty-Four (wow, I never thought I'd finish the last chapter...)**

"Ooh, that looked like it hurt," Ally commented, face scrunched up in imagination. Saor chuckled.

"It did," he confirmed loudly. "I just felt a twinge in my jaw. I wouldn't fancy being the yellow-eyed one." Ally giggled and crossed her arms, cocking her head to the side and watching the battle with interest. Battle was a bad word, actually. It was more of a... _brawl_.

"How did this _start _anyway?" she asked curiously. Saor frowned thoughtfully and glanced at Jack (who was standing somewhere away and addressing the matter of four people trying to kill him and one succeeding) before he answered.

"You've got to take into account that Aros can be an _extremely _persuasive person before you start laying the beat down on blue-eyes," he started tentatively. "After all, it was _kind _of at his expense- especially after the 'magic pants' comment." The two of them turned around as Riku snorted loudly, standing up and joining the three of them.

"_Magic pants_?" Ally asked incredulously, eyes bulging. "What _did_ I miss?"

"Come off it," Riku murmured. "We all know Sora actually _does _have magic pants."

"Really?" Ally asked curiously. "I never noticed..." It was Saor's turn to snort.

"Yes, well," he started softly, unimpressed. "They may _be _magic pants, but believe me, when you actually get into a whole conversation about it with a demonic other half and you can't see straight, it's rather hilarious."

"Why can't he see straight?"

"Bringing me back to the whole 'Aros is persuasive and it was all at Sora's expense' thing." He frowned as Jack joined them for a few moments, staring at a Sora who couldn't seem to walk straight (but that was only noticeable every once in a while) and an Aros that couldn't seem to land a punch with enough force. Kairi stood on Riku's other side, watching silently as she tried to figure out what was going on. Jack frowned too.

"He's been into the rum again," he commented bluntly before turning on his heel and starting towards the dinghy. Kairi and Ally both twitched slightly before the raven-haired girl started towards the two Soras angrily, drawing her staff. In a moment they had both been clobbered over the head and were reeling backwards, the chaser preferring to go for the demonic half rather than the drunk one.

"You-don't-get-people-drunk-for-your-own-personal-enjoyment!"she yelled, punctuating every word with a whack of her staff. "ESPECIALLY," she started loudly, furious, "heartbroken-rejects-of-light!" Sora chuckled, falling backwards in the sand even though he wasn't being attacked.

"That a little harsh, Al?" he murmured, spiking the girl's attention. She whirled to him, a fierce look evident in her eyes as she started to him angrily.

"And _YOU!!_" she started, bringing her staff down with a crack on the top off his head and making his eyes cross slowly before she pummelled him in turn. "Never-drink-on-the-job! What-were-you-bloody-_thinking_? Taking-a-drink-from-_AROS_!?"

"More like several," Saor whispered to Riku comically, getting a slight snort in reply.

"You idiot!" Ally continued, sighing exasperatedly. "What-the-heck-have-you-got-to-say-for-yourself!?" Sora looked up at her, slightly bloody here and there, trying desperately to focus on her with crossed eyes, but accepting that he failed quickly. He frowned slightly.

"Cuttlefish," he murmured softly, seeing her falter to think it over, frowning thoughtfully. She nodded after a moment and shrugged, falling into a relaxed stance.

"Guess I can take that..." she replied softly, standing up straight with her staff at her side. Saor cocked his head to the side curiously as he watched, wondering what 'cuttlefish' had to do with anything at all.

"What's _cuttlefish _got to do with him being drunk?" he asked loudly, making her round on him, fury reignited.

"Don't even get me _started _on _you_!" she shouted, stepping towards him and smacking him with her staff. "You're as bad as Aros, you jerk! You should've kept an eye on him!" Saor winced, putting his arms over his head to protect himself.

"I wasn't thinking!" he defended, half laughing as she beat him up. Ally rolled her eyes.

"CLEARLY!" she retorted angrily. "What were you expecting, Saor? He'd been rejected, beat up to the brink of death, and _died_, all in the space of twenty-four hours! Then he's stuck on a ship basically _full _of rum with nothing but a creepy other half and his own stinkin' misery! You think he's _not _going to be easily taken advantage of!?"

"Spot on," Aros murmured, causing her to round on him again as he helped Sora to his feet. He stopped like a deer in headlights and exchanged a quick look with Sora and Saor.

"TO THE SHIP!!" they all shouted simultaneously, bolting like scared rabbits to the water and avoiding Ally's disapproving glare. She started to walk after them slowly, staff disappearing from her hand as she went. Riku and Kairi both turned after her, slightly scared. Kairi frowned and Riku smiled, which she found more than just weird. She giggled at him, making him turn around curiously, suddenly blank again, but slightly blushing (so slightly that no one but Kairi and Sora would actually notice). She laughed again, looking out to Ally a few metres ahead of them.

"You are _so _whipped."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Up is down," Jack said, staring at the map boredly, ignoring the three Soras surrounding him. "Now that's more than less than unhelpful..."

Sora woke up, clearly having fallen asleep somewhere along the way. He groaned, effects of hangover sinking in. Saor recoiled as it hit him, too, and Aros hummed happily.

"How much did you _drink_?" Saor hissed, gritting his teeth. Sora frowned, shrugging slightly as he bashed his head on the table. Aros just laughed, murmuring something about three bottles and indicated to an approaching Kairi. "Hangover hurts," Saor commented softly, still ignored by Jack. Sora looked up curiously as Kairi took his hand, unseeing in the light but obeying the pressure anyway.

"Wha- ...but... he-… she-… no-o-o... we can't... awwwwww," Aros complained unintelligibly as Sora was dragged away from the two look-alikes. "And I-"

"If he knows we always listen in, Aros," Saor began quietly, smacking him on the back of the head for more reasons than one. "He won't do a thing. And right now, he can actually be totally alone with her. So leave him be, you dickhead."

Aros spluttered a few times before his grey-eyed counterpart smacked him over the head again. Meanwhile, Kairi was dragging a slightly confused Sora to the other side of the ship entirely, ignoring the fact that he still couldn't see. The glare started to fade from his eyes and he felt himself pushed against the rail of the ship, uncertain and blind.

"You're a jerk, Sora," she said quietly as he blinked, meeting her eyes for the first time. He shrugged, noting that she was _extremely _close for comfort, pressing his hands against the rail rather strongly- stronger than he remembered. She'd been training with Ally, he guessed.

"I am?" he asked, a touch sarcastic. He frowned and yawned a little, too tired to fight properly. "Guess so." She frowned, one hand raising to the side of his face slowly as she bit her lip. He stared at her obliviously. "Like you said, I never let you talk." She grinned and he felt a slight burning sensation underneath her hands. "Sheesh, you get mad quickly," he commented quietly, leaning into the touch slightly instead of moving away. She giggled quietly as he closed his eyes tiredly.

"I'm not angry," she told him softly.

"Stop with the burning, then," he told her lightly with a small smile, not even opening his eyes. He rested his head on her shoulder tiredly, not bothering to move her from her place in front of him. She blinked curiously as they fell into a short silence. She frowned, one hand still pressing his left arm against the rail while her other toyed with the collar of his shirt idly.

"Hey Sora," she started softly, whispering in his ear quietly. He shivered slightly at her tone, clearly paying attention. "I've got something for you." He tensed up slightly before replying a little loudly.

"You can beat me up as much as you want- I'm still numb from Ally's staff cracks," he said simply. He moved back a little to glance at her as her shoulders started to shake a little, feeling reassured as he realised she was giggling. He closed his eyes again tiredly, ignoring hers.

"Not what I was talking about."

"Then what were you-"

He was cut off with a soft kiss, sending the rest of his senses on overload. He was suddenly drastically aware of how solidly she was pressed against him, and alert to the fact that her other hand was ever so slowly dropping from his arm and rising to circle his neck with her other. One moment she was kissing him, shocking him with her taste and her actions, the next moment his arms were around her waist and the kiss was deepening more than just a little, ignoring the fact that someone wolf whistled in the background.

Ally yawned after a moment of watching the two of them, then turned her back and walked over to Riku boredly. He frowned from his precarious lying position on the railing, eyes closed, almost as if he could feel her approaching. She quickly jumped up to sit on the rail next to him, and as if on cue, his eyes opened. He fixed her with a blank look and she shrugged exasperatedly.

"I'm bored." He frowned before pointing lazily at Aros with a small grunt. She quirked an eyebrow at him simply as she settled into her position on the railing. "If I _wanted _to annoy _him_ do ya think I'd be _here?_" she asked lethargically. He grunted again in reply, lying his head back down and closing his eyes. She sighed. "There's nothing to do anymore- nothing to tell Sora about, no chess to play. You'd think Andre would visit sometime soon- but no, no Andre." Riku groaned.

"You actually look forward to his visits?"

"No, Mister Riku-I look forward to kicking some a-a-a-a-a…" she trailed off tiredly, raising one hand slowly to her neck as she shifted slowly on the railing. Riku opened his eyes, curious at the silence, and watched as she pulled a small dart out of her neck and stared at it tiredly with half closed eyes. She yawned. "Think I… spoke a li-i-ittle soon…" she said, her arm dropping slowly as her eyes closed the rest of the way. He stood up slowly, hiding his concern.

"…Ally?" he asked quietly, curious, as she dropped the dart from her hand onto the deck and started to slide the other way. He stepped forward quickly, just in time to catch her from falling off the side of the ship. He bundled the girl up in his arms, staring at her curiously for a moment as he realised just how small she was. He turned curiously, staring up the mast instinctively to see none other than Andre hanging off the sails, watching him curiously. Riku frowned, glancing back down at the troubled look on Ally's face. His brow furrowed in anger and he placed the raven-haired girl on the comfortable pile he'd been laying on before. He turned back to Andre and drew his keyblade, glaring the older man down.

"Ally's got _three _bodyguards now?" the arrogant chaser exclaimed loudly, catching the attention of the rest of the crew as well as the three Soras and Kairi. Aros and Saor exchanged glances from their place beside Jack Sparrow (who was the only person not paying attention). They stared back to Andre again with a mischievous grin.

"I'd make that five, mister," they said together, drawing their own keyblades, the Oblivion for Aros and a strange combination of the Oblivion and Oathkeeper for Saor. Andre stared back at them, a deer caught in headlights, before he twirled the small pipe in his hand awkwardly (obviously what he used to shoot the tranquilliser dart in the first place) and turned to crawl hurriedly up the mast. Aros and Saor both rolled their eyes, as did Riku, before the two alter-egos ran forward, taking a massive leap to land on the sail before crawling up after him quickly, spider-like. Riku took the easier approach, snaking through a portal from the deck to just above the climbing man.

Next thing Andre knew, the very painful hilt of Way To Dawn was smashing into his nose, giving off a sickening crunch on Andre's part. The chaser fell back from shock, only to be caught between the two Soras. He frowned, glaring at nothing in particular and crossing his arms angrily.

"Why does this always happen to me?" he complained, exasperated. Riku, Saor, and Aros all snorted, shooting him disbelieving looks and ignoring the blood pouring from his broken nose.

"'Cause you're an idiot," they said simultaneously, before Aros slammed his fist into the side of Andre's head, knocking him out and letting him fall to the ground.

They both dropped to the deck, crouching beside their captive boredly for a moment before Riku and Sora joined them. Aros poked the chaser in the side of the face curiously, a mirrored action ignored on Saor's part.

"Is it just me, or does he get knocked out too easily?" Aros, Saor, and Sora said simultaneously. Riku glanced at all three of them in turn, addressing them all together.

"Nope, just you…"

The three of them frowned, exchanging glances. "Too confusing for my taste," they said together. Sora frowned, glancing at Andre, and then at Ally's unconscious body.

"How the hell does he know where we are all the time?" he asked loudly, looking at Riku for answers. Said silver-haired boy quirked an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side in thought.

"Pretty sure she said something about cameras and monitors and a real big computer," he said. "Don't remember though, I was a little distracted." He got curious, but knowing looks from all three of the brunettes before they broke out in exact mischievous grins. He glared at them. "Don't even say it." They exchanged glances before focusing all their attention on him, crossing their arms and shaking their heads, all at the same time.

"You are _so _whipped," they said, again together, echoing Kairi's earlier words, Riku's brow twitched angrily and he resisted the urge to smack all three of them upside the head.

"Am not."

"Are too," Aros insisted.

"Am – not."

"Are too," Saor said this time, cocking his head to the side,

"Am – _not_!!" Riku persisted, closing his eyes angrily as if it'd make the three of them disappear.

"Are too and there's not sense denying it," Sora finished. Riku opened his mouth to retort again, but Sora cut him off like he had to Ally so many times before. "Are too, full-stop, mirror, no returns!" (a/n. 1) Riku sighed.

"Am… _not_," he growled in defeat. "And even if I _were_, it'd be a whole load of hypocrisy coming from you!" Sora grinned, putting his arms around Kairi as she joined them and smirking at Riku happily.

"Maybe so," he replied. "But I don't particularly care. I, like you, _am _whipped, I just don't deny it."

Riku groaned, turning around to walk in the other direction from Ally, hoping to get as far away from them, and her, as possible. "I am _not _whipped," he said one more time, just loud enough to hear them, knowing somehow that there was a collective eye roll in process. He smirked, for some reason, heading for the edge of the ship as Kairi and Sora walked off on their own and Saor and Aros attempted to come to a reasonably humane way of dealing with Andre.

Are too…

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

Sora yawned.

"C'mon, it'll set you out of your troubles here!"

"Don't listen to him, he's being a jerk."

"You know you want to. Like when someone says you shouldn't do something, but you can't help but think it'd be fun."

"There is absolutely nothing _fun _about taking a human life, Aros."

"Like you'd know, Mister In-Between!"

"Like _you _would! All bark, no bite, creepy crawly kid."

"I'm sixteen! _Teenager_, not kid!"

"Well you're acting like a two year old!"

"Well _you're_-"

"-giving me a headache, actually," Sora cut in quickly, half asleep. "Seriously guys, if you're trying to get into my head with the subliminal messaging and make me want to kill the guy, you'd be better off waiting until I'm asleep."

"Or you can do _us _a favour," Donald shouted from his place on the darkened deck of the ship, "and _all _of you can shut up!"

"But we're-" Aros started angrily, getting a quick thwack from Sora.

"If you want him dead so badly, go do it yourself," the blue eyed Sora said quickly, getting a grunt of agreement from Saor. Aros stood up.

"Fine," he replied bitterly, mocking them with the one word. "But for the record- it ain't as fun if you aren't corrupting someone's soul!"

"-ck off!" Riku grumbled, throwing the nearest thing he got his hands on, which was kind of hard to make out in the dark. Sora chuckled softly for a moment as Aros stumbled off before settling back down and falling asleep practically immediately. Aros kicked the deck every few steps, dragging his feet boredly and murmuring darkly to himself. His fingers twitched as he neared the mast, eager to do _something_. Of course, his eyes alighted on the mast and he raised the lantern he'd grabbed on the way, casting the supposed prisoner into light. He swore loudly, attracting attention. Riku and Sora were quickly by his side, staring at the mast half-alertedly, still sorely in need of sleep. They both groaned frustratedly.

The ropes had broken.

Andre was gone.

* * *

Boo-shah! Boredom has taken over, with it's best friend (drum roll please)… WRITER'S BLOCK!! I wouldn't be having this problem if I had help, I think. NOTE TO SELF: annoy plotline out of Josh :)

a/n. 1- rofl, so childish but we do it all the time and I had to use it for some reason. :)

Okaaaaaaaay... Next chappie may skip a liiiiittle bit ahead of now, so the time lapse SHOULD be noted. Hopefully... PLEASE REMEMBER FOR ME!?

I know you all want to press that red cross up on the top right corner of the screen- chyah, you just looked at it, didn't you. But see, here's the thing. If you don't review, I don't update. Cruel, no? WELL TOO BAD! I know some of you who review every once in a while, but seriously, I need feedback and someone to make me laugh and reviews do that.

So don't press the red X button, press the purpley-blue review button!

:)

'Till next time, duckies!


	25. Flashbacks And Grey Attacks

Disclaimer: -yawns- This is WAY too repetitive for my taste, ya know?

Disclaimer: -yawns- This is WAY too repetitive for my taste, ya know? (lol, repetitive- repeated, get it?) You'd think y'all would get it by now (seriously, 25 chapters… O.O TWENTY-FREAKING-FIVE CHAPTERS!!), but you don't, so I'll spell it out for you, 'kay?

I.

DO.

_**NOT.**_

OWN.

KINGDOM.

HEARTS!!

…And there it is in all it's simplicity. I'm a year nine kid with high hopes of working at the _reject shop_. I –HAVE – NO – MONEY!! So there.

-Kinda wrote this before you replied last chapter, so I'm honouring it in all it's glory by posting it pointlessly...- Now to start with… How's that picture coming along, buta? Seriously. Tell your friend that if the reason you can't put it up has something to do with when she scanned her face, I will personally hunt her down and make sure she no longer has a face worth scanning!! Why, you ask? Because I'm feeling particularly bored today, and I want COOKIES!! Lol, jks…

**butaNENG:1st reviewer for last chapter, I updated because you told me to. Dunno when your birthday is... or... was... but this is your present :) P.S. Jonas Brothers kick ASS!! ...It's possible I watch the Disney channel just a LITTLE too much... RIKU HEARD YOU SAY HE'S WHIPPED!! massive hunt down ensues...  
TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran:Oh, that guy is SO on my list of to-be chasers. Look forward to Havek in the future!!  
Zeromaru Chaos Mode:felt like writing the long version of your name today, sue me! ZERO SHALL BE CHASERIFIED!! Oh, and making you look at the red button? I love screwing with people's minds, it's fun.  
Bloodcherry:okaaaaaayy! Glad you like it... No idea where 'Kagome' came from, though. Pretty sure Inuyasha isn't in the fic... IDEAS! THANKYOU!!  
TheUnnaturalDisater:...Drinking Contest? ...Perhaps flashback mode in a later chapter? Or a oneshot? I'll write it for you :D And those songs? They're on my list, now. I'll listen to them sooner or later!  
Jupiter-Lightning:HOORAY FOR LACK OF TYPOS!! ...don't worry, you'll find some in here somewhereorather... Sorry about that, too, I think I'd been staring at the screen all day and had a headache or something... Dunno, but I can't be bothered to go back and change it... Yeeeeeeep... Riku's gonna hunt you down for the whipped comment.  
Ace31592:Ka-chah! I went back to read from the start. I can't believe I wrote it. Seriously. It doesn't seem like my regular style... Ah well, I'm just glad people like it. Or read it. Either way...  
RikuLover211:Heh- muchah... KEFFEFFEL!! First review in a while, I agree. Lol. Homework. I'd say I know what you mean, but I tend not to do mine... :D I'm a lazy bum, what can I say? (Plus, I don't like my Maths teacher, so I'm not doing anything for her...)  
Sora-Kairi-4-ever:Chyah. They did. Just to make you happy, their over most of their relationship angst. Ple-e-e-ease, don't do a girlish fangirl scream? I'm begging here! The Riku/Ally Bonding Time moments take me ages to come up with- I'm TRYING to make them a little more subtle and unstable, but it's not working very well for me...  
Cw Clark: YAY! I'M NOT THAT PREDICTABLE!! For some reason, that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside...? AH! FORESHADOWING! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Why do you guys always help me with my writer's block? Like, seriously, do you even realise you're doing it?**

Right, well, after a brief analysis of my schedule for the holidays (starting next Friday, pssssssssh!) I have discovered that I can't write much over my two weeks holiday (they lie about the whole relaxation tweaking thing there, seriously) because despite it being 'leisure time' (LIES I TELL YOU!! LIIIES!!) I have about seven assignments. Suckish? Yes, I know.

I will TRY to write a couple of chapters, but pfffsht! I have writer's block and I hate it. –makes weird face-

Josh: I think they get it.

Me: Uh… right… MUSH ONWARDS WITH THE CHAPTER, GNOME BOY!!

Josh: … ri-i-ight… ….I'm alerting you to the sheer Rikuness of most of this chapter… because I have the sneaking suspicion the author's on crack…

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five (3rd****multiple of five, wtf?)**

Aros sighed, laying back on whatever invisible force there was beneath him in the sea of grey. Saor glanced at him over a newspaper (wherever he'd gotten that from, Aros didn't know, nor did he intend to ask) and rolled his eyes, returning to his newspaper.

The yellow-eyed one shifted again, bored. His life was painstakingly simple. That often meant it was also painstakingly _boring_, but that was so much more obvious since he'd tasted air. _Real _air, not the still, grey-tasting crap he was surrounded by right then. No, the figurative air in Sora's fat head tasted like the much-despised flavour of grey, and, if anything, it was actually getting worse.

"Will you _stop _brooding!?" Saor suddenly complained, loud and slightly frustrated. Aros glanced at him through half-closed eyes, both wary and bored. He grunted, and Saor rolled his eyes again.

"You do realise it's getting greyer in here every day, right?" he asked in reply, not even trying to argue with his other. Saor watched him calmly, folding the newspaper and dropping it beside his chair. How he ever got a chair in the first place was another thing Aros hadn't asked about, he realised, adding it to a list of things he probably should ask at some point or another but probably wasn't ever going to. Saor sighed.

"I know," he replied dismally, any sense of impassiveness or contentedness dropped at once. "I taste it too, remember. But even for me, it's worse- almost unbearable these days." He slumped in his chair slowly. "And the taste of nothing shouldn't be this…"

"Disgusting?" Aros asked, finishing the sentence, opening his eyes fully and staring at the grey roof. He frowned. "Welcome to my world, bud."

"It's not a world in which I'm welcome," Saor confirmed softly, staring at his palm. "They're entering his dreams, you know? Showing him the past, his home world. The old dreams he had before all of this started have come back. It makes him paint."

"Paint?" Aros asked uncertainly, turning his head to fix his eyes doubtfully on Saor, who nodded tiredly.

"We both know he ain't all that artistic, man, but the idea is it's _creepy _realistic. And it's going to take a toll, these dreams of his," he explained. "We may become uselessly inadequate. He'll be out of our control."

There was a silence as they thought it over, moments passing in boredom. Finally Aros spoke up, the most unlikely words coming out of his mouth.

"I'm worried about him, Saor…"

Said other glanced at him curiously, looking exhausted and defeated at the same time, abruptly saddened. He sighed softly, leaning back in his chair and staring up at the swirling grey above him.

"I know…"

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

Sora yawned and rolled over in his bed to face the far wall. He frowned. He'd painted his room, clearly, randomly breaking out in splodges of paint. He hadn't expected it to turn out like this- real looking, gloomy. The place meant something, apparently, but he didn't know what. The opposite wall was the front of a building- a dark stone building with large wooden doors, a strange cross symbol set in a gold metal plate on the door above some sort of emblem partly resembling his necklace. The other two walls seemed to branch out from the massive double doors, showing a forest in the distance on one side, on the other side of a moat, and what seemed to be a small cemetery in the other direction. The roof was painted, as was the floor, which showed an entirely real looking moat of clear, grey water, that even looked like it was moving, and a fairly sized bridge leading to the painted on doors and the real door inside it, while the roof was painted to show the building reaching far, far into the distance above him, inlaid with castle-like windows to complete the hulking building's gloomy appearance, meeting a grey, cloudy sky. Everything was darker, somehow. Sora frowned, looking at his scarily realistic paint job through half closed eyes before rolling over onto his other side.

He almost fell off the side of his bed as he jerked back with shock. There on the wall beside him in the inlaid cave of the actual bed area was seven maps, realistically painted onto the wall as if there were actually thick, yellowed pieces of parchment stuck on the wall. He sat up, confused and slightly afraid, before sliding out of his bed and staggering out of his room without a second glance. He stumbled down the dimly lit corridor of the gummi ship until he found himself in the common room, making his way to Ally's chair and setting up the chess set.

He didn't particularly like the game- not at all, actually. But he needed more than wanted to keep himself occupied. The dreams had returned in full force, throwing him into fits of confusion and fury and uncertainty since he'd gone to the locker. But now they varied from the weird dreams he'd had before his first journey, to the painful, dark dreams where he, Aros, and Saor were there, alone with the biting darkness, and then to the strange, dark, scary dreams of the place in his room. Horrors around every corner, dark hallways, a world where the sun never shines, only constant grey, leaving him with the bitter taste of nothing in his mind, even when he woke.

Nightmares.

He moved another piece on the board, trying not to think of the paintings and the small details that would appear or be added on to the paintings in his room when he couldn't remember painting them. He shivered, gripping his fist angrily as his mind strayed back to the horrors in his room and feeling claws pierce his skin. He growled slightly, resisting the urge to swipe at the game before him in anger, and curled up on the armchair, pulling his knees up to him and burying his face into his arms as he crossed them in front of him. Ravenous and scared at the same time, he sunk his fangs into his arm idly, hoping the pain would coerce his animalistic tendencies away. The metal tang of his own blood filled his mouth and the pain gnawed away at his forearm. His claws retracted slowly, his fangs disappearing as tears came to his eyes and he sobbed quietly, leaning his head back on the chair as his body shook. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth slowly, ignoring the taste still buzzing at his senses.

He didn't hear the door open again, or the slow footsteps of someone entering the half-lit room. He didn't even notice another presence in the room until someone eased onto the arm of the chair, brushing against him slightly.

"Sora?"

He turned then, bright blue eyes frightened as he locked onto hers. She frowned as she noticed his expression, leaning in slightly and making sure he kept his eyes locked on hers.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, soothing him slightly with her words and tone. He shifted slightly.

"I had a… n-nightmare," he replied quietly, looking away from the redhead quickly, tired and a bit ashamed. She frowned, watching him carefully before she moved to share the actual seat with him, which was an extremely tight fit.

"C'mere," she managed tiredly, putting her arms around him gently and pulling him into a warm hug. He buried his head in her shoulder then, finally crying softly. She moved her hands, entwining her fingers of one hand in his messy brown hair while the other one rubbed his back soothingly. "Crying over a nightmare," she commented softly. "That's my boy." He chuckled softly before moving slightly and placing a light kiss on her cheek. "And at one in the morning- psshhh!"

"Why'd you come here, anyway?" he asked, exhausted, moving away so he could see her face while she refused to let him go. She quirked an eyebrow, staring into his cerulean eyes evenly.

"_I_, unlike _you, _actually came here for a drink," she replied knowingly, finally letting him go and standing up to head over to the kitchen area. He leant back against the poofy chair again, slightly more comfortable, but still dwelling on the weird happenings in his room. He heard her open the fridge, pull something out and pour it into a glass, not really listening as she approached him again and sat on the chair arm again, gulping down her beverage. She put the empty glass down on the table boredly after a few minutes, admiring the unattended game of chess for a moment before she stood up again.

"Going back to bed, Sora?" she asked, yawning. He shook his head, staring at the puncture wounds on his arm as they healed slowly before his eyes.

"Can't go back there," he murmured tiredly. "Fall asleep alone, I'll have nightmares again." He rested his chin on his crossed arms, starting softly as she took his hand. He glanced at her blankly as she pulled him up and started towards the door, still dragging him along quietly.

"Well then, I guess you aren't sleeping alone," she said tiredly, yawning again as she dragged him towards her room. He smiled slightly, eyes already half closed as he matched her pace.

"As if it were the most obvious thing in the world, Kai," he commented simply, making her turn to him in surprise and blink a couple of times. She blinked one last time and yawned again, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"That's 'cause it is."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

Riku grunted and rolled over again in his bed. He glanced at his watch, noting that it was cracked, but not yet broken. 3 a.m. and he still wasn't asleep. He sighed, green eyes glinting tiredly, half asleep but totally alive. He frowned.

Something was bugging him, keeping him from sleep, and he was pretty sure he knew exactly what it was. The black-haired girl asleep down the hall.

Something wasn't right, he knew, and that kept him from sleeping. She'd stirred late in the afternoon, only for a few minutes, murmuring something about her mother and a cup of noodles (somehow they were related) before falling back into her drug-induced stupor. It crept him out how, even in a deep sleep, she looked troubled and tense. It didn't fit for her, not in his eyes, anyway, and neither did her conflicted personality, in a way. He knew she was unstable- as did she. The difference between the two of them was _she_ didn't care. He frowned, rolling over again to stare at the wall, his back to the door.

There were stumbling, uneven, heavy footsteps in the corridor outside before a slight crash against the wall near his door. He rolled over again, half sitting up in his bed as the silence dragged on for a few moments. There was a small, loud thump, as if someone had bashed their fist (or their head, for that matter) against the metal wall, before the stumbling started again. Curious, Riku slipped out of his bed, heading for the door. He made it into the corridor just in time to see a shadowy figure disappear into the bathroom. He frowned; heading towards the open door as some rather sickly noises met his ears, wincing as he entered the small room.

Ally was awake, quite clearly, but she _certainly _wasn't having a good time of it.

He walked to her side quickly, crouching beside her and stroking the lose strands of hair out of her pale, clammy face as her usually bright violet eyes dulled tiredly and she continued the nasty work of overcoming Andre's tranquillisers.

"I don't… n-need your… help," she managed softly in between retching. He rolled his eyes, ignoring her, and continued to rub her back supportively, trying to comfort her. Minutes passed and she stopped, finally, wiping her mouth quickly with a disgusted look on her face. She groaned, pained, sitting back tiredly and trying to breathe properly before she spoke. "Th-that's why you d-don't do drugs," she muttered softly, annoyed. She curled up slightly, pulling her knees closer to her almost as if she were afraid.

"I'm not safe here, am I?" she asked, more stating than questioning as she stared at the metal grey wall. "Never safe, Mister Riku, never right." The shifted slightly, uncomfortable, and a pained expression crossed her face. "So next time I meet that infective _dickhead_," she said angrily, tired. "I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him, Mister Riku," she insisted, eyes half closing even as she spoke, exhaustion taking over her despite her last half-day of sleep, at least. "I swear it to you, Sam… and when he's gone," she yawned tiredly, half delusional, eyes closing entirely as she sunk back into sleep, breathing out her last words through her unconsciousness. "Then I'll be safe…"

Riku frowned, wondering for a moment exactly who 'Sam' was before he saw her yet again troubled face, even in unconsciousness, and took pity on the girl who'd just heaved all her stomach contents into the toilet bowl. He picked her up bridal style, carefully keeping a warm hold on her in his (if he did say so himself) muscular arms. He carried her back to her room quickly, placing her under the covers without much thought or even giving her a once-over. He felt like it'd just be weird, really, disrespecting her privacy in some way or another.

So he put her under the covers, tucked her in, and left the room quickly, more troubled then than he was before she woke. He knew his cruel fate for the night, despised it and hated it with a passion as he realised that it was all _her _fault.

He wasn't going to sleep a wink.

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

It was a simplistic word, sending him reeling into flashbacks.

"I think there might be a chance."

Flash.

_His heart was pounding, hands gripping the cutlasses tightly, uncertain. They didn't feel right in his grip- not his keyblade, not his. Something was wrong, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach. But whether it was his brotherly instincts to Sora going on total alert or something about their surroundings in Singapore, he didn't know._

_He looked up from the semi-murky water in the dark, meeting violet eyes, their brightness and gleam dulled since they'd lost the brunette to the locker. She frowned, looking sad and worried._

"_I feel it too…"_

_He nodded, glancing over to Tia Dalma's cart on the wooden bridge, watching Jack the undead monkey turn the handle on the music box. The pirates' song played over in his head, clearing something up. The trouble was with Sora, but it was also there. _

_Here._

_In Singapore._

"_They're coming, aren't they," he noted softly, attracting Ally's attention again. She frowned, following his gaze to the monkey._

"…_Yeah. All of them."_

_They sunk back into silence, quite agreed on the topic of just who was coming. It wasn't just the English soldiers, or undead pirates, or anything. It was everyone else, too. Chasers, heartless, nobodies… They were all coming, some slower than others, taking their time, others eager to get there already, to fight, to kill. They were all coming for them. All coming for Sora. _

_Another silence dragged on between the two of them, morbid and hated. They both remembered what had happened, clear as day- not like it had been all that long ago, really. Riku started talking again._

"_Do you think he ever had a chance?" he asked quietly, sad and curious together. She returned her gaze to him, arms crossed as she leant against the stone archway, on guard, cutlasses leaning against the wall beside her. _

"_Everyone has a chance at something, Mister Riku," she replied softly, encouraging him to put more detail into the question. "It depends what thing you want him to have a chance at." He frowned._

"_Happiness," he told her simply. She stared at him sadly for a moment before leaning her head back on the cold stone wall, thoughtful and gloomy. He watched her carefully as she thought it through, considering every possible angle._

"_No," she replied, barely loud enough for him to hear. "I don't think he did." He sighed, half expecting the reply, but still pained to hear it. But even when she added on her last part, barely loud enough for him to hear at all, more trying to reassure herself than him._

"_But there's always a chance…"_

He flashed out.

"There's always a chance we _won't _make it through the band of creepy enemy ships, too," Axel retorted sharply, restraining himself from slapping the duck in the face.

Riku rolled his eyes.

"Look, either we get past them and clear those two worlds- one of which could be _your _home world, Axel, where you'll meet your somebody and be whole again," Donald added, frustrated and clearly showing it. "Or we turn around and wait for them to come to us."

Axel had frozen at the mention of his own home world before jumping towards the controls.

"I say we go down kickin'!!" he replied loudly before Donald slapped his hands away.

"We go down kicking, then it's going to be Sora's boots smashing into their faces," Donald announced loudly, pulling Axel to the door. The nobody protested loudly, greatly ignored by everyone else. "We wait until he wakes up."

Axel groaned and shuffled out the door, complaining about some paperwork he had as of yet to do. Riku grunted.

"What worlds are they, anyway?" he asked shortly, the duck turning around and pointing at each of them in turn.

"Dunno what that one is," he said. "Probably something worth knowing."

Flash.

"_If this works, if we find him," Riku started. "What do we tell him? What do we do?"_

"_Tell him the truth, I suppose," Ally replied, staring at the water off the side of the ship, ignoring the Singaporean crew behind them. "Tell him that he's destined to take a life. Tell him to get over it before it's done."_

"_He won't believe us," Riku argued, frustrated and showing it. "He-"_

"_He'll take his time," Ally shot back, just as fiery. "But he'll believe us, and he'll be at least a little prepared. He'll hurt, and he'll mourn, and he'll die at some point or another, but life'll go on."_

"_He'll change though, Ally!" he argued, trying his hardest not to shout and bring everyone else into the conversation. She turned to meet his gaze, only centimetres away, fixing him with her own icy glare._

"_You don't think I know this?" she asked him, just as angry, if not worse. They been like this for a couple of days now- tense and on edge, breaking out in arguments all over the place. It wasn't just the two of them, either, it was everyone. Everyone except Kairi, so wrapped up in her own little world of joy and grieving that she had barely said a word in a week and a half. Time had sped up again, Ally said, and they could all feel a difference in it. It'd been a month in solid time where the worlds were left unprotected, their precious Keyblade Master lost to Davey Jones' Locker._

"_You think I don't know how much it hurts for your first time? Taking a life?" she repeated. "Try and make yourself heartless so you can't feel. So it doesn't hurt when you have to do it again. And then you aren't the person they all used to know, and they can't help but point it out to you again, and again, and again." He stared, shocked, his anger depleted, leaving him with nothing but an intense urge to comfort the girl._

"_Ally…"_

"_Don't say it, Mister Riku. Don't tell me it's not my fault, or even _imply _that you feel sorry for me!" she said, her own fury disappearing as she said it. "I don't want it! I've lived every time telling myself that there's nothing worth having in friendships and relationships, and as if to prove me right, the second I actually make a friend he has to go through this! Follow in my footsteps! I don't want it, Mister Riku! I don't want to be responsible for ruining another life. I don't want to watch him turn into this…"_

_He didn't quite know why, but he pulled her into a hug, feeling a small thrill as she didn't resist in the slightest._

"_Then we won't let him do this, Ally," he assured her quietly. She was silent for a moment, comforted by his warmth._

"_This isn't the Riku-Ally bonding time I'm used to," she commented after a moment, returning his embrace slowly. He chuckled. "It feels different. I don't know why."_

"_Neither do I," he replied softly. "But I think it's just something worth knowing…"_

He flashed out again.

"And the other one?" he asked quietly, wondering if he was going to get a headache from all the flashbacks. Donald sniffed uncharacteristically.

"Don't tell Sora yet," he replied, "but it's Arranathia."

And yet another flash.

"…_his home world."_

"_Is it nice there?" Riku asked quietly, glancing over Kairi sitting thoughtful in the corner._

"_Uh… yeah. If you're into that type of thing."_

"_What type of thing?" he asked, glancing cryptically at the violet-eyed girl sitting beside him on the rail he was leaning against. She quirked an eyebrow._

"_Castles, knights, chivalry… you know, all that stuff," she said. "It'll be horrible for Sora, though, visiting."_

"_Why?" he asked, watching her frown and stare down at the deck, troubled._

"_Arranathia…" she murmured. "Whole place tastes like grey…"_

Oh, he was _so _going to get a headache from all this flashing.

"Huh. Knights and chivalry, no?" he murmured to himself. He had a sneaking suspicion they find very little and very few on Arranathia. "Chivalry is dead, after all…"

"What was that?" the duck asked curiously, not really paying attention, but thinking Riku had been talking to him. Riku frowned.

"…nothing, but… save it for last, right?" he asked. Donald nodded, returning to his examining of the horde of heartless and nobodies in front of them. Riku grunted and headed out of the bridge, beginning a search for someone to talk to other than the two representatives of the king and the abandoned nobody doing _paperwork_.

His feet lead him to Ally's door first, making him curious as to when he'd become so fond of her company. Without hesitation he opened the door, more to check up on her than anything, noting that she was still asleep, facing the door and half curled up under the covers, comfortable. He smiled slightly, happy that, for once, she didn't look troubled. In fact, she looked as though she were having the most comfortable dream in her life, a small smile curving on her lips as well. He backed out of the room, heading off in Sora's room direction at his own pace.

Again he opened the door, this time meeting an empty room. Or, not _exactly_ empty.

He took a step in curiously, flicking on the light. The walls were painted, so real it was scary. And it was grim, dark… _grey_. He made a slightly sick expression, lips curling in distaste. He didn't like it there, the disgusting taste it left in his mouth.

Sora's dreams had connected with reality so well that the world he painted had half-ingrained with the room. Of course the nightmares had gotten worse- the connection was brutal, the world itself so dark, so affected, that any likeness of it was just as bad. It wasn't just Sora that could taste it now, he knew. He could taste it too. He didn't even have to ask about it- it was bland, distasteful, and indescribable in a way. The connected world was so affected that _anyone _could taste grey. The name came to his lips even as the taste lessened.

"Arranathia," he hissed again, wary, suddenly not so looking forward to going there, and he wasn't hyped up in the first place. He backed out of the room, closing the door, walking off randomly in another direction and leaving the nightmarish room behind, noting that he could still taste the disgusting place. It nagged at his senses, urging him to do something to sway the balance away- light or dark, he didn't care, as long as it wasn't freaking _grey!!_

No wonder Sora fled the place.

Which, _again_, brought Riku to his lack of a companion. He somehow _knew _that Sora was asleep- just, clearly, not in his own room. He frowned. To be truthful, the younger boy could be pretty much anywhere, and Riku knew that boy could hide like he himself did on Valentine's day back home. Sora even made up a motto for him, really, several years ago, that caught on like wildfire and everyone used whenever another group of screaming fan girls came around a corner and Riku bolted like a scared rabbit.

"Anything to avoid the groupies," he murmured to himself, chuckling at the memory. And he found himself standing at someone's door again, realising with a jolt it was Kairi's. The two of them hadn't had a proper conversation in…

_How long again?_

Thinking back, even he was at a loss. Even after returning to the islands, they hadn't really spoken much. Not at all, really. And since the thankfully ruined wedding, they hadn't even spoken as much as back then.

Back then was quite a while ago, he realised.

He frowned. That would have to change. He would force himself to stop being the silent brooder, just for a little while, and make more of an effort to talk to her. To them. All of them. Everyone he'd taken for granted, even just a little. Just in case he went with Sora, in the end. He smiled, liking the plan.

Shaking his head to stop with the _thinking_, already, he opened the door, smirking slightly as he realised exactly where Sora had gotten to. His two closest friends were both tucked under the covers, sleeping contentedly. He nodded simply, sneaking one last glance at the potential blackmail material and closing the door behind him.

_I, like you, __**am**__ whipped, I just don't deny it._

He broke out in an uncharacteristic grin as the words echoed in his mind. There was nothing to blackmail either of them with, he realised. He headed to the common room, mind drifting from the couple snuggled into each other's arms behind him and onto the subject of what he'd do until someone awoke to join him. He laughed at the sheer stupidity of it all, wondering again why he couldn't find himself sleeping, just that once. He knew what he was going to do for the next few hours, anyway.

He was _going _to play that _infernal _game of chess again…

* * *

Omg. I spent my whole day off school coming up with this to post on the holidays for you guys so you BETTER BE THANKFUL!! Chyah?

Grr. Maths homework…

'till next time, duckies…


	26. ATFMS

**_Now, to start with my reviewers_**.

**Zero: **Lol, no castrating of Mister Almighty Earth Boy, I guarantee you. And yes, he will flirt. Shamelessly. But that means he can't be a chaser... Damn. But hey, I'll bring him into it somehow. And the Waddle Dees? Honestly, I hadn't heard of them before you mentioned them. I looked them up. I laughed. A lot.  
**butaNENG: **Sorry if I got you hyped about the update this time. You're about to be sorely disappointed, I guarantee you, but inspire me in your review and I'll do a better job next time, I promise. And sorry I didn't update sooner. I spent the last two weeks or something wondering what else to put in this chapter before I came to the conclusion today that there was nothing else worth writing in my head, I'm void of ideas, and I wanted to warn all reader-non-reviewers that I'm not updating until they do so. :( Caught me in a bad mood. Forgive me.  
**Ace(I can't be bothered with the numbers): **Uh... chasers, chasers, chasers. Zero is no longer going to be a chaser, although I _do _have names for them, and I'll look for them later, but I think I might have... nine? Or ten, maybe? I said seven or eight before, meh. Uhm... Vasaar (that's data-guy, who I really should refer to more often) isn't a chaser. He's a jerk, though, so feel free to bash him in reviews. It'll make me happy. :)  
**RikuLover211: **I finally started that maths homework. I have yet to finish it. :D  
**Bloodcherry: **Lol, easy to confuse when you're multi-tasking. I agree. You spelt 'confusing' wrong. I laughed. Ahha! What type of cookies do you like? I'll give them to you next chapter!  
**ChaosofShadowz: **Chess _is _infernal when people keep stealing you chess set, lol. Uh, the Riku/Ally stuff is complicated, but hey, I'll try for you. You complimented me, I have no choice, lol. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! YOU ARE AWESOME!  
**Perplex: **ONE HUNDREDTH REVIEW!! And I love you too. You're practically my sister. You pwn, lol. Have yet to read your Deathnote crackfic, but I will do!  
**blackrogue123: **meh. You reviewed now, that's all that matters to me! And Ally will take your compliment happily... if she were real. Which she's not. Except in the elements of literature, in which case she's entirely real, 'cause hey- she's circling the world wide web at the moment, lol.  
**TheUnnaturalDisater: **lol. I'll grant you 102nd review. You're awesome for claiming it. :) You should try post-it notes- my friend has them all over the back of her door (not even god knows why...). Thanking you for reviewing.

**_For anyone not in the above replies- IF YOU DON'T REVIEW, I'M NOT POSTING!!_**

Disclaimer: Regular insanity applies, duckies…

Not much to say this time… So Gnome Boy (a.k.a. Josh, who has absolutely nothing to do with the writing and/or planning of this fic) is going to join me in my authorspace :)

Josh: Righto, no ownership, blah, blah, blah, and on with the chapter?

Me: … -.- …I hang around you too much, don't I?

Josh: Ye-e-e-ep, probably…

* * *

**Uh… wait, I got it… OMG! CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX!!**

They both woke together, connecting eyes quickly through the waking up haze. She smiled and he grinned sheepishly, characteristics of All Too Faultless Morning Syndrome. And because of that, Sora knew that day was going to _suck_.

There was a sense of balance in his life, after all. It went something like…

One tiny good thing is followed by one _huge _bad thing.

Of course, in the course of his ATFMS, Sora decided that just for that tiny moment, he could deal with whatever absolutely horrifying thing was going to happen to him that day. After a moment she snuggled back into his side, head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. He chuckled softly.

"Hard to think it's only been two days, really," he murmured softly. She shifted to look at him curiously, more awake and a little more alert. "Not even that." She smiled softly, propping herself up on her elbow, watching him silently. He quirked an eyebrow. "Silence. I'm not used to it." She frowned slightly, reaching out a hand and brushing her fingers across his cheek. He flinched slightly as it burned him a little.

"Your eyes are funny," she commented quietly, leaning in a little closer to make sure. He squinted at her, just to make it more difficult, earning a quick slap on his arm as response. "Just a tinge green. Shouldn't be, you know?" He grunted.

"Think I'm bypassing the red and just going straight to yellow now?" he asked softly, half joking. She frowned, fingers trailing down his neck as she flowed a little light into him. He shivered a little, briefly reminded of their encounter at her wedding before he realised just how tentative she was being right then. "You're afraid, aren't you," he stated, not questioning it. He found himself questioning pretty much nothing these days. Her reply was a quick intake of breath as she retracted her hand. He quirked an eyebrow again, reaching out to interlock their fingers gently as he sat up.

She stared at the sheets for a moment until his other hand tucked her fringe behind her ears. She turned quickly, met with clear blue eyes, sparkling mischievously, all traces of green disappearing.

"Do remember, you can beat the hell out of me at any moment," he reminded her softly. She smiled sadly.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she told him quietly. He grinned.

"Don't dwell on it- it doesn't help a tad," he replied, leaning in slightly closer, barely even noticeable. She frowned and shook her head.

"I ca-" she started, cut off by his lips on hers. "-n't not…" she finished as he pulled away, her eyes closed, lost in the short contact as she tried to remember what she was saying. "…I'll never-" she started again, only to be interrupted again by his soft kisses, sending her senses on overdrive. "- be able to –" And again. "- forgive myself-" What could she say, he was persuasive. "- if I hurt you." And suddenly she was the one kissing him, and he wasn't in the slightest way protesting.

Now, how the _hell _did he do that?

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"Nice night, Sora?" he asked curiously as the brunette began preparing to make omelettes. He looked up accusingly and glanced at the silver-haired boy playing chess obsessively before grinning happily.

"Once I left my room," he replied simply, earning a nod in reply.

"For the record- grey?" he replied. "Tastes like crap."

"Indeed it does, Riku, indeed it does…"

They fell into silence, then, interrupted only by a light sizzle as he started cooking the omelettes. Riku was pondering the various courses of action while his friend cooked.

"Figuratively," he began loudly. "How would one tell a friend that a creepy fortune teller predicted they'd kill someone in the very near future?" Sora smirked.

"Oh, I don't know," he replied, slightly sarcastic. "Possibly bring it up as a figurative question." Riku winced as he heard a small clang of metal on glass and an omelette was served up.

"You knew?" he asked testily.

"I've known for quite some time," Sora replied serenely. "It's bound to happen eventually."

"Which instance are you counting down," Riku asked, not moving his hand from the chess piece and half looking over his shoulder. "Beginning or end."

Sora was silent for a moment, contemplating as he continued with the omelettes.

"To be frank?" he asked quietly, chuckling softly. "I'm counting down until the next tomorrow and hoping it won't be my last." Riku nodded his acceptance, frowning slightly at the plain thought of it. It was a shared fact, unspoken between the three of them, knowing that Sora's time was slipping by quickly. Ally had said so from the beginning, really, telling them that things were different this time- the keyblade master was different, the chasers, the battle, overall the entire war.

Sora knew, Riku knew, and they all knew the king knew, that it was only a matter of time. And once it was said the first time, there was no need to voice it or think it over. It was already set in stone. Sora was already as good as dead, and he intended to live whatever was left of his life as if he wasn't destined to save the world with a cost. Whether or not his making omelettes had anything to do with that was still disputable.

There was a small crash outside the door before a short silence, reminding Riku rather simply of the night before when he saw Ally awake for the first time in two days. Whatever drug Andre had shot at her lasted for quite some time after injection, he guessed. There was a swish as the door opened and she stumbled in, still not quite in her right mind.

One palm was pressed firmly against her forehead as she stumbled in, trying to ignore the inevitable headache of being comatose.

"He-ey, it's Ally!" Sora exclaimed loudly, sarcastic and bored as he began cooking his third omelette, glancing to see her shake her head quickly. "Have a nice two day sleep?"

"…Bugger off…" she groaned, heading for her armchair and collapsing into it uncomfortably, not even bothering to move. Riku stared at her for a moment before he stood up and turned towards the counter, picking up two filled plates of breakfast and heading back to place them on the coffee table, noting quickly that Ally's arm was solidly over her eyes, blocking out any light whatsoever with he jumper's black material.

"Heard some very interesting stories over the last two days," Sora announced slowly as Riku sat back down and began eating. "About all the stuff that went on before you came to 'rescue' me." Riku grunted, ignoring another loud sizzle. "I heard that the Riku-Ally bonding time went rather well, actually." There was a dead silence, both of the subjects suddenly tensed up and still. Sora glance at them both from his place by the stove and chuckled softly. "Heard you two hugged."

"And who, Mister Sora, told you this?" Ally asked quietly, an edge in her words even though she barely even seemed to move her lips. He snorted.

"Who said I was told?" he asked. "I said I heard it, Ally, no one told me." She frowned for a moment before making the slow effort to sit up and reach for the plate of food Riku had gotten for her, just as the door opened again and Kairi walked in, heading in a beeline for the kitchen section.

"Morning guys," she murmured loudly, still half asleep, giving a small wave to Ally. "And Ally. Who is… awake? Since when?"

"Since Riku heard her stumbling down the hall at about one in the morning," Sora explained matter-of-factly, earning inquiring looks all around as he finished the last omelette and stuffed the frypan in the sink. He snorted. "Didn't we just go through this? I know things." He glanced at all three of them quickly before grinning. Kairi took a step towards him, leaning in to whisper playfully in his ear.

"Y'know," she started softly, "sometimes you scare me." He shrugged.

"I-I-I-I-I have that effect on people," he told her playfully, continuing with his obsessive cooking. She frowned as she noticed this, realising that it really was obsessive, as though it had to be perfect in every way, cooking time absolutely exact and each different plate of food made and presented in the exact same fashion. "Would you prefer it if I tried not to?" he asked, bringing her back to a clueless reality even as she noticed him poke the latest omelette on it's plate rather subtly, putting it into it's flawless position. She grumbled mindlessly, raising her eyes to his as he dumped his things in the sink.

"You've only made six breakfasts," she murmured, pointing it out simply, making him look up and count them quickly as she ignored the earlier question. He frowned. "We'll need one more for Axel." He half turned to get more ingredients before he seemed to meet a mental wall or something, unable to move. She groaned, noting that he seemed to have a new inability to do anything if it weren't an even number.

"Multiples of three," he murmured loudly, as if to correct her earlier thought. "It's all in multiples of three." She took one of his hands and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before grabbing a plate and dragging him over to the couch, reassuring him with a few quiet words.

"Never mind- Axel can go hungry."

ΦΦΦΦΦΦΦΦ

"May I yawn?"

"You may yawn as much as you like, Ally, as long as you don't shoot fire at me again."

"…okay!"

Ally yawned successfully, disembarking the gummi ship quickly after Sora and Kairi, Riku trailing behind her uncertainly. She tugged boredly at her red clothes, staring at her shirt distastefully before glancing around at the other three and their red clothing.

"You know- considering that you're all different elements, I'd kinda expect y'all to be wearin' other colours," she commented loudly, flexing her fingers curiously as the flames danced across her skin. She smiled. "But I _think_ I'm going to enjoy this…" Sora glanced at her and sighed, quirking an eyebrow.

"Should I fear for my life now? Or should I wait until you find the gasoline?"

She grinned. "Don't lose faith in me yet, Mister Sora." He grinned. "I haven't failed you yet… I don't think…" He shrugged.

"Pretty sure I failed with that flight then," he told her simply, glancing back at the large tear down the side of the gummi ship and the strange glowing liquid dripping down the side. "But seriously- who the heck doesn't put weapons on a gummi ship!?" Ally giggled.

"Well sorry, Mister 'It's-all-about-the-guns' if Axel chooses the worst possible time of his existence to come off as passive."

"What are you apologising for? You're not the idiot with his heart on his sleeve!" Sora complained loudly. Ally stopped, leaving him to take a couple more steps before turning to look at her curiously while Riku almost ran into her.

"Oka-a-a-ay- to start with, I am not a 'he'." Sora chuckled.

"We've been through this before. You do have a heart, Ally, it's safety pinned to your backpack."

"Well, I lost my backpack then."

"No you didn't, you're just being stubborn."

"Oho! King of stubbornness telling me this?! I thank you _sir_!"

Sora was silent, contemplating grudgingly before he chose to let the comment go.

"…Where are we, anyway?"

* * *

Oh-kay, duckies! Short chappie, I know... It was only five pages. And it wasn't that good anyway. I'm sorry. I really am. But really, I'm struggling here. I need inspiration. And you're all pissing me off, I swear to god. Or most of you, anyway.

Again- cookies to all reviewers, but here's the deal.

**Everyone** who has favourited my story (I know you're out there, I get messages whenever you click that button, duckies!) or added me to your alerts list (I get messages for that too, get it through your head) you're all pissing me off. I know you add me, it has a list on my account. But you never review. So, I'm setting a bench mark (-and to my regular reviewers, who've stuck with me since whenever they started reading and helped me hit 100, I apologize profusely.).

**I WILL NOT START WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER**-

until I have _**five**_ reviews.

**I WILL NOT WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER WELL**-

unless I get **_seven_** reviews.

**I WILL NOT FINISH THE NEXT CHAPTER**-

until I get _**ten**_, count them, **_ten_**, reviews. And

**I WILL NOT POST THE NEXT CHAPTER**-

until I have... let's see... at least _**thirteen**_ reviews?

Click the button.


	27. Meet, Greet, and Beat

Omg. Never before have I actually realised just how much blackmail helps me get you guys to review! At some point, I'm probably going to think "damn, I can't believe I was that mushy" or something of the type (mushy stuff is NOT my forte), but here goes (and this goes out to all my reviewers of the last chapter, or anyone who's reviewed me in general)….

I _**love **_**you.**

-shivers- …y'know, I will probably never say that again. So, let me clear this up- I love you guys in that strictly non-creepy "you reviewed me and you're awesome" kinda way. And you make me laugh. You guys make me laugh quite a lot, actually. So this chapter is for all of you, because I owe you for being insane the other day when I posted… I'm sorry- I'm back at school, and I have assignments coming out the kazoo, and it's making me angry. I should not have taken it out on you guys… So, I started writing this the day after I posted (you guys hit twelve reviews for chapter 26 in twelve hours. I'm thinking I was right.). Uh... review replies at BOTTOM OF PAGE!! I'm tweaking today.

Disclaimer: No owning of the game.

Josh: She doesn't own a busking licence, either.

Me: I wish I did.

Josh: But ya don't. Never will. And you suck at music.

Me: -.- I'd shut up if I were you…

* * *

**Chapter 27. For your enjoyment.**

"I've been here before."

"Ally- you've been _everywhere _before!" Sora replied sarcastically. Ally smacked him over the back of the head simply, glaring at him sternly as if telling him to bite his tongue. "What!? You have! Not my fault you remember five thousand years of travelling!"

"I don't, you dipstick!" she told him exasperatedly. "Just flashes. And occasionally half hour movie reels, but that's a different story."

"Half hour…? Oh, for god's sake, Ally, you're making me want to hit something."

"Yes, I have that effect on people. I thought you knew that, Mister Sora."

"Well, where are we?"

"I don't _know_," Ally replied, exasperated and sarcastic altogether. "All I know is- last time I was here I had _air _flying out my fingertips, not fire." She snorted. "Was fun, too. Got to go flying with this bald headed guy with arrows everywhere. I think we were friends, actually. Wow. Wait… how the heck did I forget _that!?_"

"Aah, cut the complaining, Ally-wa, and teach me how this 'bending' works," Sora said, chuckling softly. She turned to him curiously, scanning the other two quickly.

"Ally-_wa_?" she asked dully. Her nose twitched for a moment before she shrugged it off, glancing at the surrounding rocky landscape curiously. "But I haven't been _here _before. Must be the Fire Nation or something. I've been everywhere else."

"Less reminiscing, more teaching," Sora said, clapping his hands quickly. Ally shrugged.

"I dunno how you do it, you just do! Kick, hit, get angry- whatever." As if to prove it as a point, she lashed out at him unexpectedly, making him duck to avoid a bout of flame. He frowned, standing up straight and matching her stance. He attempted a punch of his own, only to be blocked by the girl, who was surprisingly thrown backwards with a gust of wind. She crashed into the rock wall of a the nearby cliff, sliding down to the ground and letting out a small 'peh!'.

"Sorry Ally-wa!" Sora called after her, relaxing his stance significantly and raising a hand to scratch the back of his head awkwardly. "But that was _so _awesome…."

Ally twitched pointedly, staying still for another moment before she stood up, grasping her lower back obviously for a moment before she walked back to him. "That, my dear keyblade master, has _got _to be the cheapest cheap shot I have ever had the misfortune to be on the end of."

"And that has got to be the cheapest cheap shot I have ever had the good fortune to be dealing out," he replied with a satisfied smirk. He let out a short yell, flying several feet in the air as the ground shifted underneath him and flipping several times before he landed back on the ground, utilising a short upwards draught. Immediately, he turned and glared at Riku, who was smirking, equally as satisfied. Ally giggled.

"I digress," she announced. "_That _was the cheapest cheap shot I have ever _seen_."

There was a sudden strangled battle cry before a young man rocketed out of the trees to their left, raising a gleaming black sword as he ran straight at Sora. Said brunette turned slightly and raised an eyebrow before catching the boys hands over his head, grasping the sword, and delivering a swift kick to his gut, dropping him to the ground and prying the sword away from him as he grumbled painfully, grasping his stomach. A young woman stomped angrily out after him, followed quickly by a shorter boy with a strip of cloth around his forehead and another young girl.

"Sokka, you _idiot!_" the first girl shouted, walking up and kicking the boy on the ground in the stomach. "What did we tell you!? You don't go attacking random people in the forest!"

He sat up, ignoring the off-worlders and glaring at the girl. He began to stand, dusting himself off quickly. "Look- I just wanted to check them out! They were kinda _suspicious_, ya know! Hanging around in a forest while that fire nation celebration's on. In a _forest!! F-O-R-E-S-T!"_

"Sokka?" asked the second boy tentatively, not noticing that Ally's head shot up, her gaze directed suspiciously at him as her eyes narrowed. The first boy, Sokka, turned to him curiously.

"What is it, Aang?" he asked, anger mysteriously forgotten. 'Aang' grinned sheepishly.

"Uh… _We're _kinda hanging out in a forest right now," he replied. The short girl behind him shifted boredly.

"Yeah, Snoozles," she said, seemingly simply for the pleasure of saying something. "Twinkletoes has _kinda _got a point there…" Sokka grumbled something incoherently as, ignored by the arguing group, the off-worlders started to back away slightly, grouping together and chatting amongst themselves.

"Whaddya think?" Sora asked simply. Riku shrugged indifferently.

"I'm with you on whatever," Kairi told him simply, shrugging her shoulders in a similar manner. "No experience whatsoever with this." He nodded simply, looking past the two of them to Ally, her head cocked to the side as she stared with narrow eyes at the short boy in the other group, a thoughtful look on her face. Sora, in turn, glanced at the kid, before returning his gaze to her.

"What you thinkin', Ally-wa?" he asked, making her look at him. She smiled softly, a evident sense of knowing in her stance, before looking back at the other group. She pointed at them in turn, explaining things to him in a moderate tone.

"The older girl- brown hair, tendency to be an all-knowing control freak with annoying inclinations, thinks she's the awesomest water bender in all the worlds. Her name's Katara. Brother to the guy that attempted, and might I add how sad that attempt was, to lop your head off. His name's Sokka. Lovable goon, stupid jokes that you'll laugh at anyway. The younger girl's an earthbender. Her name's Toph- she's blind," she explained quickly, earning looks of curiosity and astonishment from the other three. "Which really means that she's probably picking up every word we're saying right now anyway, so no need for secrecy." As if on cue, the young girl raised a hand and waved subtly at them, gazing into the distance with misted over eyes. Sora chuckled. "I like her already, she's different. A-a-a-a-anyway… the last one, the younger boy- airbender, roughly twelve… maybe thirteen years old. Name's Aang. He's the Avatar."

"And what, if I may ask, is an 'Avatar'?" Sora asked curiously. She cocked her head to the side, still not looking at him.

"Computer lingo, or worldly being?" she asked dully. He rolled his eyes.

"Worldly being, Ally-wa."

"User of all elements, mighty holder of all power, godly keeper of balance, blah, blah, blah…" she trailed off boredly. She looked at him them, a dull, mocking, sarcastic look in her eyes. "Have you got any idea how many of those there are? Keepers of balance and friggin' powerful icons. It's _so – freaking – repetitive_," she complained, dragging out the words. Sora laughed.

"And might I ask how you know all this?"

"C'mon, I musta run into a couple hundred balancers and world protectors after three thousand years!"

He stared at her blankly. "I meant all the stuff about them," he corrected her, pointing abruptly at the other group several metres away. Ally 'oh-ed' quietly while Kairi giggled, turning to look for Riku, only to discover he'd mysteriously disappeared.

"Lip reading," Ally was saying. "And, like I said, I've been here before."

"…When was that again?"

"A…" Ally paused thoughtfully, counting quickly on her fingers and murmuring under her breath. "…hundred years ago? Give or take?" Sora raised an eyebrow.

"How could you _possibly _know how old that kid is then?" he asked. She grinned.

"'Cause that kid was alive a hundred years ago."

--

"Look, I'm sorry I woke you up this morning, alright- I apologise. It was an accident, I didn't mean to trip over Toph and throw water all over you," Aang relented, waving his arms submissively. Sokka glared at him.

"_He _didn't mean for him to trip, but _I _did," Toph announced gladly.

"HEY!" Sokka protested angrily.

"…Wait… guys?" Aang asked. "How did we get onto this subject again?" A short silence followed, during which the sound of someone humming boredly met their ears, they all spun simultaneously to see two people- a black haired girl sitting on the ground against a tree who looked like she was falling asleep and a brunette boy with absurdly spiky hair leaning against another tree and examining Sokka's sword curiously as he hummed.

"Intruders!" Sokka yelled, letting out a familiar war cry and charging at the two of them, only to have his own sword pointed steadily at him as the boy stood up straight and the girl blinked quickly, becoming alert and looking around with curious, bright, violet eyes.

"_Dude_," Sora started exasperatedly. "We've been here the whole time!" Ally stood up, tapping him on the shoulder. He glanced at her questioningly.

"Uh… _we _have, but the other two have kinda… not…?" she told him. He glanced around suddenly, dropping the sword boredly to thump on the ground as he whirled around.

"What the…? Kairi knows better than to go off on her own!" he exclaimed.

"And Riku?"

He turned to her and fixed her with a dull stare, making her grin at the sheer stupidity of the question.

"We both know the answer to that, Ally," he said simply. "So there is _one _possible conclusion to make from this situation-" She sighed, nodding knowingly.

"He buggered off to do something stupid and she went looking for him," they said simultaneously.

"Isn't that usually us?" she asked dully. He nodded.

"Let's go find them," he sighed, daring a wave at Sokka and his group who stared at him stupidly (minus Toph, who was blind). "See ya's!" And with that they turned around, Sora following mixed scents, knowing full well that the group of on-worlders would be hot on their trail in a matter of moments.

"What's it taste like here, anyway?" Ally asked, picking up the pace as she ran after Sora. He grunted.

"It's a mix here. I think it's 'cause the four nations all have completely different scents, but they're all here at the moment, in a way. So it tastes like a lot of things. And then there this extra ingredient from off-world," he explained. She doubled her pace, chuckling softly.

"You can taste it here, can't you."

"It's a lot of grey, you know. Can't stay on one world for long."

"Arranathia," she murmured, getting a small laugh from him.

"Such a very dramatic place it's tending to be, no?" he laughed, spinning as he almost ran into a tree-trunk and wheeling his way through. "The stuff of dreams and nightmares. Riku could taste it too."

"Dunno why they tried to hide it from ya," she said, snorting slightly as she said it. "Such a feeble attempt, too." He laughed, glancing to his side as Aang appeared with a rush of wind, trying valiantly to keep up. The boy grinned widely.

"Where're we off to?" he asked, waving quickly at Ally as he recognised her. Sora laughed, exchanging a look with her too.

"I like this place already."

--

"Oh, what the fu-"

"_Riku!_" Kairi protested loudly, cutting him off. She shifted uncomfortably behind the stone wall as an explosion went off behind them, courtesy of the man with the third eye tattoo in his forehead. "No swearing."

"Bu-"

"No! No swearing!" she said, cutting him off again, waving a hand in front of his face. "Hello!? None. Nada. Zilch. Ze-ro!"

"Oiyah! You called?" a man said, appearing at her side and ducking down below the wall before the weird buff man saw him.

"Who the fu-"

"Hey, no swearing!" Riku cut in smugly, getting a painful whack on the arm in reply as he called her out on her own game. The guy quirked an eyebrow at them, half standing and glancing over the wall curiously as he watched the weird guy. He shook his head while both keyblade bearers looked at him curiously, noting his long black hair and his strange silver eyes standing out with his dark-ish skin.

"Looks like you two got yourselves one _big_ problem," he noted dryly, watching observantly as the buff man with the metal arms shot a beam of _something _at another boulder, attempting to find the two bearers. He frowned. "What the _hell _is that guy _on_!?" he asked exasperatedly, reaching for the sword at his waist. He shrugged. "Me-e-eh… I'll ask him before I kill him- I _gotta_ get me some of that, whatever it is."

In only a second he was gone, walking out towards the bald man boldly.

"Hey, you!" he shouted. The big man faltered. "Ye-es-s-s-s, you- yeti-man! The abominable snowman! Bigfoot! …or is it Big-Face? I'm a little sketchy these days. Haven't been to Earth in… no, wait… nope, I dunno how long ago that was, actually. But it's been quite a _while_…" The big man turned to him, unemotional and scary-looking. He glared at the black haired man. "Ooooh!" the guy started mockingly. "I'm so afraid of you, Amazing Hulk!"

The big man growled angrily.

"Oh, right- you don't understand that, do you?" the black-haired guy said disappointedly. He stopped for a moment, staring at the ground thoughtfully. He grinned devilishly, looking back up, then pointed at himself. "Me," he said, then shook his head. "No – likey – you," he finished, pointing at the man as he dragged out every word slowly. The big man lumbered forward, attempting an explosion at the boy, which was dodged. The black haired man drew his sword in the same movement, spinning and slicing the buff man across the chest.

The big man howled, the man's sword clanging off his metal arm, before he let off another explosion, sending the younger boy flying. There was a crashing sound behind them as several people flew out of the trees onto the scene, taking everything in.

"Combustion man!?" exclaimed the group of on-worlders, staring at the bleeding man as he turned and lumbered away into the trees, injured.

"AH!" Ally shouted loudly, watching with wide eyes. "Zeke!?"

Sora, Kairi and Riku all looked at her curiously as she stared after the big guy, noting she shrugged after a moment and turned to look at everything else. There was a groan from their left and they all turned to see the black haired man hauling himself to his feet.

"Guess I'm a little outta practise…!" he commented slowly, whacking himself in the back and being met with a satisfactory 'CRACK!' from his bones as he did so. Ally stared at _him_ wide-eyed for less than a moment.

"Uh… _Zero_!?"

* * *

**Scarpaw:** lol, picky's one way of putting it. Like I said, I was in a bad mood, and I apologised for that :) But thanking you for reviewing! Made my day, 'cause you were first. Seriously, I got almost a whole page on my email account worth, lol. And I was like... "that wasn't supposed to happen! WHAT! NAO! I have writers block! Now I _have _to write!!"  
**ChaosofShadowz:**'twas probably elongated, not stuttered. Like I said, chess isn't infernal ALL the time, only SOME of the time. Glad you enjoyed the minimal Riku/Ally bonding time, it's hard to write with their clashing personalities, lol. What's nocab? Thank you for the cookie! Did it taste good, considering you ate it? Uhm, translator-ey thingo for my Eragon fic... I'll give it to ya when I post chapter 3, lol. Haven't read Twilight. Couple of my friends have. 'Tis about vampires, isn't it? I will. After I finish the 'Uglies' series. My advice to you- READ ANYTHING BY SCOTT WESTERFELD! I did not steal your _entire _cut copy section, just _some _of it, lol. Good luck with the cross over, too. I'll read it if you write it. I'm determined to be first reviewer. That means you WILL TELL ME!! -inserts own dramatic music- **PEAFUS POLAR FISH BEAR WILL REVIEW FIRST!!** **MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** I have my own theme music, you know!? ...I dunno what it is yet... BUT I WILL SOON!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ...You're reviewing all my other stories RIGHT at this very moment in time. I laugh.  
**EnigmaticVagabond:** Shtank-you for reviewing! Lol, you don't have to again if you don't want to... But I'd appreciate it... (Omg, 'tis hard to go for the Guilt Trip course of action over the internet, haven't you noticed?). Lol, that growing list of unfinished things. I have a list of those to- but they aren't stories, they're various other things I never finish, like... my geography assignment! ...No, wait, I never started that... and I think it's due tomorrow...  
**Bloodcherry:** lol. Multi-tasking is just a light way of saying 'screwing up several things at once', as I very well know. And laughing at the future grammar mistakes? I think I can do that, yep... Here is your chocolate chip cookie -gives cookie-.  
**Ace31592:** ah! I did all your numbers by memory! ...Now my brain hurts... uh, wait, I don't have a brain, do I? XD Dun, worry, I appreciate your reviewing. I do longer reviews because I ramble a lot. 'Tis a talent.  
**Zeromaru Chaos Mode:** y'know, you always have a habit of making me laugh. Like, I have no idea what Ansem sounds like in RE:CoM, but I imagined it, and the word 'submit' on repeat, and I laughed harder. BLOW UP THE INRTANET! NOWWWWW! XD I'm in a good mood today, can you tell? . Zero is in there. I kinda got bored and thought 'combustion man can be a chaser, and Zero can be... something to Ally'. I'm not quite sure yet. Zero just has a habit of leading a strange existence, doesn't he.  
**dotty.c.o.mx(I added in full stops, did you notice?):** XD sorry again. I wasn't angry at you guys. I was severely pissed at my music teachers and this stupid girl at school who I wish a very painful death upon. Tanking you for reviewing. (Didn't forget the 'h' in 'thank', just didn't wanna use it, lol)  
**bookwormally:** Ally _is _a weird one. Gotta love her for that.  
**butaNENG:** XD I feel even more loved now, and I've been feeling loved all day... despite my renamed ELLA test (now named the 'NAPLANS', but we call them nappies, lol). We had to write stories, and I repeated the phrase 'I am a fish' about seven times in mine. We had one period of actual school (bleargh, maths) and me and Josh (pretend you know him) spent the entire period pissing ourselves laughing about my story. And then we played would you rather. Quite fun. 'Twas a short chapter last time 'cause I got bored with it, lol. And of _course _you count for fifteen reviews. You always will XD. You'll count for twenty after you post that picture, lol. Your reviews are never short, they're fifteen liners (at LEAST ten, I've noticed). They make me laugh. I'm Australian, I have no idea what the what's-it-called conference is, lol.  
**Jupiter-Lightning:** We have something in common- **school is eating my soul too!**  
**TheUnnaturalDisater:** Lol, I was having a creative angry streak at the time and decided to chart it evilly. Nocturnal ninja? No, but it's a good idea... I like you- you give me new ideas for my stories XD.  
**RikuLover211:** lol, again with the apologies. But thanking you for reviewing, because I kinda-sorta know you as a reviewer- you know, one of those not-quite-serial reviewers, sorta a... 'I review if it's posted on a Monday, Wednesday or Sunday' kinda reviewer. lol, jks. I love stereotyping, but I hate it at the same time, y'know?  
**DyneUzuki:** lol, I'm thinkin' that was... South Park? I didn't think I knew drama... but apparently I do? 'RAI! XD  
**TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran:** :) Shtanking you for helping me with more future chasers. You're awesome.  
**Boricuan Lobo:** ...You read really fast... lol, nah, but anyways... thanking you for reading, reviewing, and I'm glad you like my story. Lol, caught the gist of the compliment. I read between the lines most of the time- otherwise I'll get bored and wind up reading the same sentence (sometimes even the same word) on repeat for an odd half hour, lol. You rambled- I respect you for that. I ramble a lot too. XD  
**IsaacRules25:** I know a couple of Isaacs. I would laugh if I knew you in real. I would laugh a lot. But, anyways... lol. Minions. I have minions too, lol.  
**Cw Clark:** ARGH! You metaphored me! ...But it was a good metaphor. Very interesting. -waves at Nathaniel- HELLO CLARK'S OC!!  
**Perplex:** You're still awesome. I liked your review. 'I clicked it for you'. lol. Love you, my adoptive sister!  
**Sora-Kairi-4-ever:** ROFLMAO, I am not _nine_, I'm in _year _nine! I laughed hard... ahhah! I'm fifteen. Well, fourteen... I'm fifteen in September. Lol, I've had my fair share of fan girl screams thrown at me, you don't hafta spare me.

Oho! Now, remind me-

**How many reviews did I just spend _TWO ENTIRE HOURS _replying to?**

You aren't doing well in proving me wrong, lol. .

Cookies to you all!

For the sake of my rapidly decreasing self-esteem (which has been boosted recently, thanks to you all), please click the purpley-blue review button! PLEASE!

You really don't have to comment on the story.

Most of my reviews to other people are...

TOTALLY.

RANDOM.

...like, I talk about what I did during the day, seriously, wtf? And I was telling someone yesterday about a guy dislocating his shoulder in the trampoline in PE a couple years ago. Ahha... I ramble a lot, too. I ramble about RAMBLING!!

So stretch your fingers, crack your knuckles, and be prepared to type- the best rambler this chapter has the next chapter dedicated to them, and _possibly _even a chaser in their image. Am I being more subtle on the blackmail this chappie?

'TILL NEXT TIME, DUCKIES!


	28. Doctor Who and Master Yoda

The following chapter is dedicated to ChaosofShadows for sending me a PM over the past couple days telling me to GET A MOVE ON and update SOMETHING (he multi-tasks, y'know? Reads my Eragon fic as well XD). Also, just a warning- due to writer's block, anything I post from now on (and most likely before now as well :P) is most likely going to be shorter than normal and reasonably choppy. I'm talking about other stories too, so... yeaaaah...

Disclaimer: …no owning. None. Nada. Ergo- I DON'T OWN ZE GAME!! Muahahahaha.

Zero is owned by Zeromaru Chaos Mode, aswell, so don't chuck a psyche at me UNLESS you're him ('cause the amazingly awesome ZCM is allowed to! XD). butaNENG? Two questions for you! 1- no review for last chapter? (I think I already have an answer for this, forgiven.) and 2- this is awfully repetitive for me, so I'm assuming it is for you too and you'll know what I mean by it. Picture? XD

SO! I was playing the Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (which I _**DO NOT**_ own either- I just own a ten dollar copy! XD), and for the first time EVER I actually did one of those high pitched scared girl yelps (rofl) 'cause this child of Golem just ran out of the dark at me doing it's lopsided Golum lope, and then I was getting mauled by, like… _fifteen _of them at the same time. And I was shouting at the laptop screen, like-

**Die, children of Golum! DIEEEEEE! Stop. Gang-bashing. ME!**

…and mum was just staring at me for a moment, and then she goes.

…**Nicole? Shut up, I'm trying to watch my show.**

Really, she did. So I used the usual

**Mum, it's a crappy crime show that no one likes, so I don't care. I will scream like a scared little girl and shout at children of Gollum as much or as little as I like, 'cause Deziel and Pascoe's a friggin' lame show.**

…And, no, I probably didn't spell it right.

…actually, my spelling's been entirely **crap **for the past month (but not as bad as Megan, 'cause she's sixteen and she _still _can't spell 'cake'… XD). So… forgive me, because you should know by now that I don't regularly edit my chapters after I finish them, nor do I actually CLICK the spell check button (but a lot of you guys don't click the review button, so I believe I have a 'high tail it outta bloody jail' card for that one, and, **yeah**- _I went there_). Alert me to any spelling mistakes or anything and (if I can be bothered… which I probably won't be, mind you, but that shouldn't stop you from trying…) I'll go back and fix it.

…right… Where were we?

**RIGHT! **This is _traditionally_ where I would reply to all of my wonderful reviewers (what can I say, they're awesome!?). But this is one of those bloody long opening authors notes again, so I'll grant y'all a favour and skip straight (…almost…) to the chapter, and reply at the **BOTTOM OF THE PAGE!**

My band recommendation for this –insert time span here-, 'cause you can just _tell _I don't have one XD- is (-drum rolls-)…

THE SPILL CANVAS!!

They're awesomeness, dontchyah know?

Josh says hello. And he laughs because I blackmailed y'all into reviewing, and because 'I am a fish'.

XD

All hail my test creative writing skills, lol.

* * *

_**A quick recap to make my chapter longer:**_

_There was a groan from their left and they all turned to see the black haired man hauling himself to his feet._

"_Guess I'm a little outta practise…!" he commented slowly, whacking himself in the back and being met with a satisfactory 'CRACK!' from his bones as he did so. Ally stared at him wide-eyed for less than a moment._

"_Uh… __**Zero**__!?"_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight.**

"Ally?"

"Wait, who's he? And who was _that_?" Sora piped in, resembling his drunken self and pointing after combustion man. "And what the _hell_?!" Ally turned to him with an inquiring expression, trying to drag thoughts out of herself rather than him. She gave him a quick pat on the head and watched his body sag defeatedly before he sat down, basically dropping to the ground directly where he was.

"Good boy," she mocked quickly, turning to look accusingly at Riku who was subtly sidling away and pointed stubbornly at the ground beside Sora. "You too, Mister! No more running off tonight- you had Mister Sora very worried about his beloved princess." She paused thoughtfully, glancing at Kairi. "Which means _you _should probably take a seat too…" Said redhead shrugged indifferently, heading over to sit next to Sora as Riku sat down on his other side and patted him on the shoulder, looking absolutely crestfallen.

Ally walked over to Zero, holding the tall man's gaze searchingly for a few moments as his silver eyes flickered to settle on a deep brown colour. Aang appeared beside the two of them, his group taking a similar stance to Ally's and sitting down to watch, figuring that they had no idea what was going on, and nor would they for some time.

"What'choo doin' here, Ally?" Zero asked her, glancing at Aang briefly. She shrugged.

"Working. You?" she asked, evading details.

"Working," he replied slowly, making her smile knowingly. He stared at Aang. "I thought you reincarnated differently every cycle. You're still the same bald-headed, arrow twerp I knew a hundred years ago." Aang grinned.

"I was frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years," the twelve-year-old replied quickly, chuckling heartily as Ally shot him a curious look.

"A hundred years in Cryo?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Any side effects from that?" He shrugged.

"Got a cold?" he replied questioningly, making her grin.

"Same old Aang."

"Same old Ally," Zero and Aang said together. She nodded.

"And you, Zero? Mister 'I only live once' still nineteen after a hundred years?" she inquired, making him crinkle his nose and cringe visibly.

"Found myself caught by a couple of _bloody_ Mercs out on Route 32 after I left Atlantica. They didn't have any of the bounty posters at the time, chucked me in another Dark Corridor," he explained distastefully, making her shiver.

"Yik," she murmured.

"Well that's us two explained," Aang said. "Your turn."

She shrugged. "Bludgeoned to death by a very _stupid _man with a very _powerful _weapon twenty-two years ago. Much internal bleeding, very _numb_ after a while," she clarified, crossing her arms and staring into nothing with a glazed over look in her eyes. "Official date of death- twentieth of the fifth, '86. Official date of birth- twentieth of the fifth, '91." Sora turned quickly to Riku, noting the pressured white of his knuckles on his clenched fists and the curiosity mixed with anger in his eyes.

"Did you know that?" he asked quietly, getting only a negative shake of the head from the silver-haired boy. Zero was chuckling.

"Funny that- how your birthday's on your deathday," he noted dryly, making the girl grin.

"Funny that," she repeated knowingly, "how that fact stayed the same for the past seventy-three lives. Even funnier how you can actually make me laugh about it."

"Oi, I'm talented that way," he replied, winking quickly at her.

"Is it just me, or are they _flirting_?" Kairi whispered curiously in Sora's ear, making him glance at her, and then again at a narrow eyed Riku.

"Ye-e-ep…" he replied, elongating the word. "They are."

"You're here for Zeke?" Ally was asking, earning an approving look from Zero.

"Zeke's that big guy, right? Combustion man?" Aang asked loudly, earning a nod from the two of them. "Can you get rid of him for me? He keeps getting in the way."

"Of what?"

"Working," Aang replied flatly, earning a grin from the two of them. They exchanged a glance.

"Got'cha!" they replied simultaneously. The boy grinned, clapping hands with both of them, hesitating for a moment, and then giving Ally an uber-tight hug, making her laugh and pat him knowingly on the back, glancing up with a small smile as the considerably-taller-than-Aang, nineteen year old Zero chuckled softly.

"You'll shadow us, I suppose," she stated softly, waiting for the younger boy to let go of her, and earning a small nod from Zero. "Ghost him?"

Zero grinned, hazel eyes flashing silver again for a moment, excited. "That chaser's gonna get _pwned_."

--

"So… who are you?"

Ally and Zero exchanged a look at the question as Riku, Sora and Kairi stared expectantly at the black-haired man. Zero shrugged pointedly at the question, stuffing his hands in his pockets and searching for something.

"Uh…" Ally voiced uncertainly. "He's a…." She paused, eyes glazing over in contemplation. "What was the word? I had it five minutes ago, but I don't know what it-"

"Typical," Zero murmured, earning a solid whack on the forearm. "Hey!" he protested loudly, met only with an accusing glare from her bright violet eyes. "I was just _saying…_"

"Oh, I _know _what you were _saying_, Zero, and what _I'm _saying is for _you _to keep your _bloody _opinions to yourself!" she argued loudly, elbowing him harshly when he snorted. "…It's not my fault I can't remember the friggin' word…" she added quietly in a grudging tone, earning a loud chuckle from him.

"I'd watch my language if I were you," Zero noted dryly. "Yourfriends were having a very blunt conversation about swearing before." She snorted.

"Yeah, well, you're not me, and I don't think it's possible for _you_ to watch _your_ freaking language," she retorted quietly, entirely off track from the initial question. He sniffed.

"For one criticising my inability to keep opinions to myself, you lack the ability to practise that art," he replied, just as quietly. She sent him a shrewd glare.

"We're both bloody hypocrites, okay, so spare me the friggin' lecture, Master Yoda," she told him dully, making him roll his eyes.

"…Aa-a-a-a-a-and we're back to the sci-fi front…" he commented lethargically. "We've been through this before- if I'm Master Yoda, you're the ultimate Doctor Who of all Doctor Who's…"

"Nah, I have evidence to the contrary."

"You don't die, and neither does he. You know everything there is to know about anything, speak several different languages, and at one time or another, _lived _in a telephone box," Zero explained quickly, tone clearly saying the two of them had been over it before. "Ergo… Doctor Who."

"Nyeah…. But he has two hearts."

"Yeah, and you don't have one, I know."

"No, actually, I do."

"Really?"

"Really."

There was a short silence, punctuated only by Sora's incessant foot-tapping that he'd taken to as the chaser and her friend conversed, ignored by the two of them.

"…I told you so."

Ally's eyes narrowed for a moment before she turned to the black haired man. He stared back at her for a moment before they both snorted and she turned back to Sora, finally taking note of his disgruntled appearance as he, Kairi, and Riku awaited her explanation. Still laughing quietly to herself, she thought back.

"Right, so, what did you ask me?"

"I asked _him_," Sora reiterated tiredly. "Who he was." Ally chuckled again.

"Well _that's _a stupid question," she commented. "Not even God knows who Zero is… and that's assuming there is one!" She paused thoughtfully. "Who would you say you are, Zero?" she asked, turning to look at him. She snorted again as she heard the soft monophonic music being emitted from the contraption in his hands, poking him pointedly. "I'm sorry. Is that _pokémon_!?"

"Why yes, yes it is," he replied distantly, button mashing furiously on the console's button pad. "I've finished this game seven times over and it _still _doesn't get boring." Ally pursed her lips for a moment, moving to stand beside him and watch the flashing screen curiously.

"…If it's pokémon, why are you button mashing?" she asked slowly, watching him smash the console with his thumbs. His brow furrowed in concentration before he hissed back a simple answer.

"…pikachu…."

"…That bloody rat!" Ally replied, eyes narrowing at the pictures on the tiny screen. "Kill it! _Kill it!!_"

Sora sighed pointedly, making a small movement with his hands before glancing at both Kairi and Riku.

"I _really _don't think we're going to get anything here," he said loudly, earning a small smirk from Kairi and a frown from Riku.

* * *

**Zeromaru Chaos Mode**: I actually am kind of thinking 'no, I really DON'T want to know about his 'morning ritual'' (I have one too- it involves a lot of incoherent complaining on my part and a lot of persistent shouting on mum's). I'm trying not to swear too much in chapters, so if Zero's a little out of character (or a lot, meh, take it how you will) it is entirely my fault. XD Also, knowing where you're going and not knowing how you're getting there is ENTIRELY how my stories work. So, close your eyes and PRETEND you know how you're getting there- that's how I get by! XD.  
**D.o.t.t.y.c.o.m.x**: glad you love the dots. Otherwise I'd have to find some new creative way to put your name in here without it going funky. XD Avatar is awesome. I love long reviews. They make me smile. Smiley faces are a-okay with me, awesomers is an awesome word, and you're an awesomer too. Thank you. XD  
**bookwormally**: everyone loves AtLA. I do too. I watch it every thursday at five o'clock on Nickelodeon. Ally's awesome, so she knows everyone, lol.  
**Scarpaw**: I talk to myself frequently. Glad to know I'm not alone in that. :) Gore is a-okay with me, kids in my class KNOW I'm demented, and squirrels kick ass, look out for them in chapters to come.  
**ChaosofShadowz**: bloody awesome. So. How you going with that KH/Eragon cross-over? I am the one and only Peafus Polar Fish Bear (we get bored in maths, what can I say?). Yes, thou shalt buy Scott Westerfeld's books, SK4E is one of my longest time reviewers, lol, she just mistook something I said in an earlier chapter, lol. ZERO was on earth, Ally's weird, and Riku barely talked XD. Kinda thinkin' you win the char. dedication, but you cheated (seriously, Era-review, BOT-review, AND a PM?) ROFL at your typing requirements and the 'rantity rantity rant rant' part, you ARE evil, and my dramatic music is currently residing in my head (there's plenty of space in there for it, I've noticed). Sorry for chappie choppiness. XD  
**Jupiter-Lightning**: My god, that was one of the funniest reviews I've ever read (and I get some pretty damned hilarious ones, too). WHY THE HECK were there guys in cheerleading uniforms? If that happened at my school, I'd probably be the unlucky bugger that chose to actually bring my lunch that day too, lol (and I NEVER bring my lunch, either, it's pretty much always money). Props to you for watching Avatar. Makes you awesome.  
**Ace31592**: Well... no, Axel didn't... BUT NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT! Yes, it could work. I might just use that. XD.  
RikuLover211: ...you don't... like Avatar... aww... OH WELL! I still respect you, 'cause you're awesome (and you're reviewing me has _absolutely _nothing to do with it- oh yes, sarcasm was intended XD). Also, just so I don't forget, your opinion on Riku/Ally bonding time for the future (because I want to do him justice) chapters is?  
**A-dizzle**: In the time it took you to explain to me that you were, in fact, NOT rambling, you actually rambled quite a lot (therein lies my talent in rambling, 'cause I do that a LOT). Copy and paste reply? I'll keep that in mind for the future XD Well, I think I addressed the spelling issue quite well before, lol, so, yeah. You're awesome too. In fact, if I was D.o.t.t.y.c.o.m.x (see how I had to use the dots again?) I'd say it simply and say 'everyone who reviews me are awesomers', but since I'm not, I have to call everyone awesome individually, see? XD  
**DyneUzuki**: lol, I do know how to beat the living hell out of Sora. Because I'm good like that. I sit there in my maths class coming up with new and creative ways to hurt him :) Thank you for reviewing, you're awesome (did you catch the last statement about that word?)  
**lilytoby**: ah, OCD is one of the traits of his creepy discurse that he's got. Discurse is a made-up word, by the way, so don't look around for it anywhere else, lol. I'll explain more in later chapters, I guess.  
**Twilight Princess67**: well, no, not really. I just appreciate it when people do. Reviews inspire me (especially those long weird ones I get from such people as Zeromaru Chaos Mode, butaNENG, and ChaosofShadowz). Recently I've been feeling extremely UNinspired (thus the long stretch between last chapter and this one). So I guess, in a way, yeah, you do have to review for me to update. But it's not compulsory, y'know?

For the record, I am apologizing for the lapse between chapters. Unfortunately, it's probably going to happen more often. Also will with **Another Type Of Flame** (my _Eragon_ fic). Fortunately for all you **Final Fantasy** fans who read this, I've recently been hit by inspiration, so I'll probably be posting a couple of chapters for a new **Final Fantasy X** story (which is, at the moment, probably going to be X revamped because Tidus acts like an annoying git and Yuna's a whiny jerk for assorted parts of the actual game, lol), so keep a look out for it.

Half my normal hit-rate for chapters is roughly fifty. I never get fifty reviews though, and this sometimes makes me sad (I need a life, I know).

Fend off my post-update sadness and click that purple review button for me, chyah?


	29. Not Quite Unexpected

Disclaimer: I own _twenty-two_ songs, the taste of grey, and the ability to sleep for extended periods of time. I have not, do not, and will not _ever _own Kingdom Hearts. And you should really know this by now as well.

Alert: I completely forgot to mention Zero in this chapter, and once it was finished it was finished so no do-overs (sorry Zero. And yes, you in particular will find a couple of apologies in this A/N.)

Ahha. **SUGGESTION**! Go on youtube and type in _'Caramell Dansen'_. It's a really funky Japanese song that I can't be bothered to look up a translation for. But anyway, someone recorded all these people at a (cosplayer convention? I think that's what it was, I really don't remember, it was something of the type…) that were dancing to it.

They were **dancing**, I was **laughing**. Seriously. Laughing. So hard I couldn't stop.

**Guess what?** I was feeling rather emo after last chapter (thank you to _the-author-previously-known-as-butaNENG-now-eCZi_ for spending the past however long cheering me up. You are awesome. And my sister is really annoyed with you- _indirectly_, she doesn't know who you are- because I keep bursting into laughter while reading your comments in the living room and it interrupts her precious repetitive high pitched Japanese techno music… really, _really _annoying).

Anyway, I was emo because I only got **SIX reviews**. See? I went from nineteen to six and that made me very, _very_ sad. It was a choppy chapter, I **know**, but five people still found it in their very strange hearts to review me (why anyone would talk to me in the first place is a complete mystery to me XD), so the rest of you have earned the utter denial of a cookie **forever** and you shall fall prey to mine and eCZi's _concubinish-neff_. If that didn't make much sense, it's eCZi's fault… and mine because I wrote it there… but mostly hers! So, to **eCZi,** **Zeromaru Chaos Mode**, **ChaosofShadowz**, **Bloodcherry**, **Voltair**, and **Ace31592**, **THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! YOU ARE ALL AWESOMERS! AND YOU MADE MY DAY!** May it rain cookies wherever you may be.

**:)**

Because my chapters are getting choppier every day and only _six people _thought to send me reviews and inspire me (and, no, I'm not going to let that go anytime soon, either), I have a couple of ideas of what can happen after this chapter. But it's all up to you guys. And if you don't like number five? **SUE ME!**

1) You can review me. It's the simplest thing to do. Even rambling inspires me. It inspires me to ramble. And haven't you noticed? That's all my chapters are, in my opinion- me rambling for a very long time. So _review_, got it?

2) A beta reader would be good. Seriously. Typos and choppiness can go down the gutter if someone wants to beta for me. Hell, you can co-write if you want. _I – Don't –CARE!_ It's all you guys helping me.

3) Hey, someone wanna write the next chappie for me? Make it up yourself- no plotline. Go for your life. That's how I get by.

4) I could totally ignore this story for several weeks? JUST A SUGGESTION!

5) Two words, guys- and they're the two words Zeromaru Chaos Mode will hunt me down for (something he made clear a couple of chapters ago). Wanna know those two words?

**Indefinite Hiatus.**

…**how** _do_ you **like** **me** _**now**_!? That's right. You don't. So take option one. Seriously. Just do it. Because option five is seriously appealing to me right now (_sorry Zero_!). Yeah, this is my new blackmail sense. If you don't inspire me (and if you know you can't inspire me like those awesome serial reviewers of mine that always have enough time to leave me those bloody long reviews that I love so very much, you don't have to write, but I'd **damned sure** _appreciate _it), then this whole shindig could fall off the radar for however long it takes for me to regain my flair for fiction. Days, weeks, years? Dunno. But it's your reviews (…and that great deal of coke that pretty much ensures my death by the age of 23) that keep my chapters coming.

So, because I had _six reviewers _and right at this moment I'm resisting the immense urge to tell the world just how much the rest of you _suck_ right now (I'm in an extremely bad mood today- **gremlin mode**, eCZi, **gremlin mode!!**), this chapter goes out to _them. _

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine (One More And I'm Under The Impression I'm Overworking Myself…)**

Sora sat up pointedly, finding himself abruptly restless. He bit his lip, fangs piercing skin rather painfully. He swore under his breath, getting quickly to his feet and glancing around with narrow eyes. He took in the campsite through the darkness, fixing the details in his mind before weaving his way through to the trees, sliding away from the rest of them with ease. As soon as he felt he was out of hearing distance he quickened his pace, making it to the small nearby river in moments. He dropped to his knees beside the water, cupping it in his hands and splashing it on his face to get rid of his post-rest jitters.

He spent a few moments just feeling the cold midnight breeze as it blew against the water on his face, sending chills down his spine. He took a few breaths, palms pressed together and fingers on his forehead before he spoke.

"Why do you keep following us?"

There was a short silence before the rustling of leaves met his ears and someone dropped from one of the trees across the river, landing with a slight thump on the ground. Sora didn't look up, still relishing in the cool feeling of the wind on his face as the figure approached the riverbank, stopping to stand and watch the brunette prince.

"You're the prime target. I haven't got a choice."

"You always have a choice, Andre," Sora told him quietly. "We've proved it time and time again."

"We?"

"Me and Ash," Sora replied. "Riku and Kairi. Always got a choice, Andre. Always." There was a slight shift on the other side of the river, still not earning Sora's gaze as the chaser seemed to think it over. Sora stayed stock still, crouched beside the rushing water with his hands in front of his face and his eyes closed, a small drop of blood trickling slowly from his lip as the puncture wounds disappeared.

"Me and Ash never had a choice, kid," Andre replied testily, his head drooping and his eyes shadowing as a tendril of anger entered his voice. The corner of Sora's mouth upturned in a lopsided smile before he answered in a louder voice, his statement rather pointed, but not really challenging at all.

"Then why is she _here_?"

He was met with a silence that seemed to drag on for quite some time as the other man dwelled in all the meanings of the one word. On world, in existence, or on Sora's side, it all came down to the same thing. A temporary agreement, a bond of sorts, remained unspoken between the two of them, fully acknowledged by the both of them.

"What do you want to know?"

It was a statement, not a question, and to Sora the intent was clear. Andre would answer a question, as clear as he felt he could be without being transparent, and then he would leave them alone- at least, for the time being. Sora did a half smile again, attentive to his abrupt lack of curiosity.

"What's your last name?" he asked loudly, feeling the look of utter confusion that Andre shot him at the question. He still didn't move, knowing that he'd caught the chaser entirely off-guard. Andre had expected something more tactical, after all, to do with their little war or the chasers, or whatever was coming in the future. Instead he was asked about his heritage- his namesake- and it was entirely befuddling him.

"Elesario," he replied eventually, seeing Sora nod slightly, but nothing else.

"…Nice," Sora told him simply, not showing any indication whatsoever that he intended to move any time soon. Slightly deferred, Andre turned to leave, an expression of total bewilderment still intact on his features. He frowned, stopping for a moment and unknowingly doing more than what was expected of him.

"After you're done here you're in for a shock," he called to Sora, just loud enough to be heard. "Vasaar believes the weakest part of an army is the one directing it. Remember that." Then he left, disappearing into the trees and the shadows and leaving Sora to his thoughts. Several moments passed with nothing to show apart from Sora crouched beside the stream in the same position that he'd been in for the past few minutes. After a time, though, he heard quiet footsteps from behind him, two sets trying to find him in the dark.

Still not turning around as the two girls came out behind him, one relatively shorter than the other, and both looking extremely disgruntled at being woken up. One faltered for a moment when he came in to view while the other stopped completely.

"Why are you two up?" Sora asked quietly, still not moving even as Kairi approached him, kneeling at his side and gripping his shoulder gently. Toph snorted loudly at the question.

"You ain't no twinkletoes, Sora," the young earthbender told him. "Neither was whoever you met. But as long as you're good, I'm tired, so see ya in the mornin'."

She turned around and went back on her way to the campsite again, leaving the two off worlders alone and in silence. After a few moments, she reached out her hand, brushing her fingers over his lips for a moment and making him finally move to look at her as she stared at him with slightly worried eyes.

"You were bleeding again."

"I don't sleep easy anymore," he pointed out in reply, making her roll her eyes in return and stand up, grabbing his wrist and pulling him with her.

"Still the same lazy bum, though," she explained tiredly, dragging him back to the camp. "We went through this _last _night. Just say something next time."

ФФФФФ

"Oh-for-bloody-hell-stop-setting-my-freaking-shirt-on-fire!!"

Sora sat up abruptly, a slightly dazed look on his face as he heard his silver-haired friend's raised voice, a tone and volume he hadn't heard from the older boy in a _very _long time. He stared at Riku for a moment, under the impression that there was something off about the boy, as his smouldering shirt was doused again by his hands, emerald eyes glaring into violet as Ally stared back, grinning pointedly for a moment before she shot another bout of flame at him, seemingly just for the sake of it. Riku ducked quickly before he made a solid move with his feet and the ground beneath her shot up into the sky in a rather large pillar, taking her with it.

"Whi-i-i-i-ipped," Sora called loudly, earning a shrewd glare from Riku before the silver-haired boy returned to attempting to fix his shirt. Kairi stirred beside Sora, lifting an arm pointedly to pull him down with her. She rested her head on his chest before speaking into his shirt, voice slightly muffled.

"It's only dawn, go back to sleep."

"There's really not much point," Riku told her, walking over to sit down beside the two of them as Sora propped himself up on his pack. "Aang, Toph, Sokka, and the other one went of to train about an hour ago. Said we should wait until you two woke up and then go train with them."

"Why?"

"Because we have absolutely not idea what we're doing and they bloody well know it too."

"Ah," Sora replied, reaching a hand up to ruffle his hair before glancing again at Riku, only to freeze completely, staring at him with wide eyes as he figured out what was off about his friend. Riku's eyes narrowed sharply, daring him to continue, only to have Sora fall backwards entirely, roaring with laughter. Kairi looked up, still bedraggled, trying to understand exactly what was causing her extremely comfortable pillow to shake with laughter. She bit her lip for a moment after staring at Riku before pressing her face back into Sora's shirt to bite back her laughter. She seemed to get herself under control after a moment, looking back up with a straight face, although she was still breaking out in a grin and chuckling every few seconds.

"She _didn't_," she commented, not quite disbelieving, as Sora shifted beside her, laughter dying down as he propped himself back up on his elbows and stared back at Riku, azure eyes dancing with mirth. As such, Riku was painfully aware of their eyes fixed on his hair. He gritted his teeth, grinding them irately.

"Oh, she _did_," he replied quietly, seething. Sora and Kairi exchanged a glance, both of them struggling to keep their faces straight before Sora fell backwards again, gripping his stomach, unable to restrain it any longer.

"Ah- I'm s-s-sorry," he said, half stuttering through his laughter. "I n-n-never-r exp-pected to s-see your h-hair cut!" He didn't notice the sour look that crossed his friend's face as it was stated, even as Kairi crossed her arms over his stomach, laying her chin on them, and stared curiously at Riku and his new short, spiky hairstyle. She watched him for a moment, all inclinations of her laughter dying off as she examined Ally's handiwork.

"Gotta say, she's good," she commented simply, giving him a reassuring smile. "'Bout time you stopped being emo anyway."

"Hear, hear," Sora agreed quickly, making to sit up and staring over at Riku's pillar of earth as someone shouted down from the top.

"Get me the f… …down fro… …ere."

Sora pursed his lips for a moment, glancing to Riku curiously.

"You aren't going to get her down, are you?"

"Nope."

"Didn't think so."

ФФФФФ

Sora frowned for a moment, watching as the airbender dodged several shots at once from Toph and Katara alike. Then he exchanged a glance with Riku.

"He's good," he commented simply. Riku grunted impartially, cocking his head to the side and staring again at Aang as, blindfolded, the young Avatar leant back in a move resembling the trademark matrix move, a sliver of ice barely skating over the top of him before he stood back up and, in one fluid movement, bended the air around him to bowl his attackers over. Riku glanced at Sora.

"He's good," he agreed. "Very good. But he wouldn't fare well against a keyblade, I don't believe." Sora's face scrunched up comically as he thought it over.

"I dunno- he's doing _that _blindfolded," he replied. "Reckon that if you gave him a good blade and a couple of lessons he'd hold his own for a long enough time."

"Is everything with you two about keyblades?" Kairi asked boredly, making the two of them turn to look at her on Sora's left, blinking obliviously. Sora abruptly slid his hand into hers, silently proving a point. She half-glared at him before turning to look at the airbender again, unable to keep a small smile from her lips.

"Speaking of keyblades," Riku started quietly. "Think I can get Ally to make me a new one?" Sora snorted pointedly.

"After the stunt you pulled this morning?" he asked rhetorically. "**I** don't _think_ **so**." Riku almost visibly winced, making Sora grin knowingly. Riku opened his mouth to reply before he hesitated, dropping his eyes to the ground.

"…Why'd you think she did it anyway?" The question made Sora watch him closely, noting the slight tinge of pink stealing across his best friend's cheeks. This made him chuckle pointedly and glance at Kairi to see if she was listening, only to see her staring fixedly at a spot down with the people training as she pretended not to. He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze before turning back to his silver haired friend.

"I would imagine," he started thoughtfully. "She cut your hair because she likes it short." The simple statement caused Riku's slight blush to darken several shades, and Sora had walked off with Kairi at his side before Riku had the chance to ask further on the topic.

* * *

Check my second choppy short chapter XD!! Feffffffff…. Psssh, this stupid block. And headaches and it's cold (winter here, my fingers are going numb as we speak). So that was a filler chapter. I guess. I don't know, I make it up as I go.

I'm sorry, my writer's block is eating whatever's left of my brain. And believe me, I didn't have much there in the first place. Okay, so replying to my _six reviewers _(oh yes, I went there again).

**Zeromaru Chaos Mode: I would imagine that if he killed them they would be dead. I don't know, I could be wrong. Sorry I left him out of the chapter. Now I feel really bad about it. Did they have a thing? Do you want them to have had a thing? I don't know, they could have. Write me something. I dunno, a flashback, or a... EHHE! WRITE ME A SCRIPT! I'll write around it for the next chapter. All you have to do is write me a couple of line of speech, or something that should happen or SOMETHING! ...Who the heck was George Carlin? And golbat, you say? Well, yes, I hate them too. But Pikachu will forever be first on my hitlist. I don't know, some mundane grudge match I've had for the last seven or eight years of my life. Meeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhh...**

**eCZi: lol. I was kinda wondering why I kept getting alerts for you as an author. Because I didn't remember adding you. So the penname change explains a lot of confusion on my part. My mum's watching another stupid movie. XD Evil Ally? This I must see. It'll probably inspire me to write some evil flashback or something. You are awesome, y'know. I intend to watch Camp Rock at one point or another. I haven't been paying attention to the Disney Channel lately though. Disney movies kick ass. Jonas Brothers kick ass. The Spill Canvas also kicks ass. All Over You and Hush Hush are my favourites at the moment. Unfortunately, someone actually will die in future chapters. I think there was a giveaway in this one. If you can guess, I'll write you a song... e-e-eventually...**

**ChaosofShadowz: I screwed up so bad. I'd tell you the details but if I-know-who read it, I'd be murdered before I'm halfway through the holidays. It's winter here. I'm cold. Sorry you got sick. Hope you're feeling better. Last time I had a stomach bug it was the day before my birthday. Believe me, that sucked. Got to stay home on my birthday, though... I don't know. You'll appear at one point or another. Gonna be hard for me, I have no idea what you look like. Least with Andre and Christian I knew who I was basing off. And Ally sorta just came up. Mmmmnyeahhhhhh...**

**Voltair: lol. It was just the one line, and yet it had me laughing for ten minutes straight. 'Nice chapter, but for some reason, Ally seems demented'. Rofl. Doesn't she always? In one way or another. Ahhahahaha. You're awesome. You made me laugh.**

**Ace31592: your review was strangely short this time. But you're still awesome. Zero's a witty and rude character in his own right (I guess, so's Ally, but if you want to see the real Zero check his original story, 'cause he's pretty damn hilarious). So, together, Zero and Ally can get up to some very chaotic things (I have as of yet to think of what, though...). I'm really sorry if this chapter isn't quite what you wanted, I hated it myself. But my brain really is turning to mush at the moment. Not even the mush that inspires you to write sappy romantic crap. Nope, this is that totally uncreative and boring, pointless mush, that stops me from even rambling. Damn.**

**Bloodcherry: lol. Sounds like you're brother's smart. He'd kick my ass at pokemon (but I lack dedication so anyone probably could). Ehhe. My friend's 24 (I based a character on him too, he's kinda like my cousin and he's annoying as hell in that fun way- guess which one he is) and he has an obsession with Dragon Ball Z. As in, he bought all the games, all the episodes, action figures and all (and he even has a clock that does this "da na na na, good morning" alarm thing in a really crackly asian voice. It's funny. I wish I had one.). I love long reviews. Don't apologize, keep 'em coming! And if you ever rematch that guy, I'm backing you. Kick his ass.**


	30. Shattered

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, and I don't own two pages of this chapter- Zeromaru Chaos Mode does. I just own the corrected punctuation and the word 'carved'.

I had some very nice reviews for last chapter, y'know. My favourites were from Zeromaru Chaos Mode and Bloodcherry telling me that if I put this on hiatus they're going to swamp me with ideas (I don't see that as a bad thing, though, so please got at it). I love it when you guys review me. It makes me feel loved. And less bored. I seem to have entered this haze of lethargy and tiredness. And you guys make me laugh, and that makes me happy. What also makes me happy is that I now have thirty dollars to my name (don't worry, it's not the end of the world, it'll be gone soon… I'm very weak-willed when it comes to spending). It sucked to get it. Baby sitting is a drag. And now I have a headache. I'm writing this- on the laptop – with a headache. See what you make me do?

So. eCZi. I do believe you were wrong. None of the people you mentioned are going to die. Yet. They could, but I don't have them planned for it. So… Technically, that implies no song for you. But I'm going to write you one anyway… e-e-eventually. And then I'll record it and stick it on myspace. And you'll just be like… "Wtf!?" But you've been my inspiration in Fanfic and drawing, so music's only a step away. …Just don't expect it recorded too soon, because I have twenty-THREE (oh yes, I wrote another since last chapter) and I have as of yet to record even one. Because my music teachers suck. I blame them.

How the heck did I manage twenty-freaking-three songs anyway? I'm fourteen (seriously, not even fifteen yet, which sucks…) and I only started playing guitar last year. SERIOUSLY! WHAT THE FU-

Josh: okaaaaaaay! 'Rai! I'm in this chapter! What – the – hell…? Right, well, Peafus has gone temporarily insane at the moment (as if she isn't normally… pfffft…) and if you would give her a moment or two to calm down, we may actually get somewhere….

…

Okaaaaaaaaaaayyyy... Remind me never to get into that rant again. It frustrates me on so many levels.

I was just reminiscing, because I found this one little tiny fact that I'm thinkin' is a bloody amazing coincidence- did anyone notice that Seymour, our favourite, annoying, respawning, antagonistic, Guado FFX enemy is voiced by a guy who's last name is Fernandez? Seriously, did anyone notice that??

XD

Glad to say that this story is not going on indefinite hiatus… yet (so no dreaded fifth option right now, MrMaster XD). Don't underestimate my laziness, though. So if you want to chuck a Zero and send me a 'script' or a smidget of what you reckon should go in the chapter after next- because I'm actually almost done with the next chapter at the moment but I might take a little while to post it- (and no, he wasn't offered that only because I've borrowed his OC… though that did contribute to my reasoning. No one captures Zero better than Zero) seriously, go ahead. I appreciate it more than regular reviews. And regular reviews make me smile. That's an achievement. My face is a constant frown.

…Another long opening A/N.?

ON WITH THE CHOPPIE CHAPPIE!!

* * *

**Chapter 30 (Wtf? I actually got this far?)**

"What are they doing?" Kairi asked curiously, tilting her head to the size as her gaze followed Sora and his reasonably younger tutor around their small portion of the clearing. She sat down slowly beside her black-haired companion, ignoring the quick violet glance from her.

"I do, in fact, believe they're dancing," Ally told her slowly, seeming slightly uncertain of the fact herself. Kairi glanced away from Sora for a moment, watching Riku and Toph speaking on the other side of the clearing before they continued their training.

"Dancing."

"Yes… See? Look- Aang's doing the Sunny dance."

"What the hell's the Sunny dance?"

"It's that," Ally told her simply, bringing Kairi's attention back to Sora and the young airbender as the Keyblade master stood still, leaning slightly to the side and watching as Aang 'danced'. Sora grinned, and appeared to chuckle pointedly through heavy breaths, earning Aang's gaze.

"It looked pretty stupid," Kairi commented, noting that something similar was said by Sora and that both Aang and Ally showed the same grins.

"That's the idea."

Sora appeared to laugh again before using the air currents around him to breakdance. Kairi's jaw dropped for a moment before she glanced at Ally.

"Did you know he could do that?" she asked. Ally cocked her head to the side, watching Sora's complicated moves almost as sharply as Aang.

"Ye-e-e-ep."

"I didn't."

"Eh?" Ally, paused for a moment, glancing at her again before a small look of understanding crossed her face. "Right- he was doing it on the way to Port Royal."

"He was?"

"So was Riku."

"Riku _dances_?"

"Among other things," Ally replied. "He sings too."

"Riku _sings_?"

"Riku does the laundry," Ally commented simply. "I don't know why you're surprised."

Kairi froze for a moment, thinking it over. "You've got me there." They stayed in silence for several moments, just watching Aang attempt to breakdance as Sora had, which ended with the two boys in a total fit of laughter, before Kairi turned to Ally again and asked something that was suddenly nagging at her brain.

"Say Ally," she started slowly. "How'd you get down from Riku's pillar of doom?"

Ally smiled slightly. "Zero helped me."

"How'd he manage that?"

"I don't ask and he doesn't tell. It's better like that."

Kairi paused for a moment, thinking that over as well. "Oh."

**_--_**

Zero was lying on the ground, face up, staring at the clouds. His left arm was lazily moving in strange patterns above him, a trail of black flame being left behind wherever his fingers flowed. He blinked suddenly, as he sensed a presence unfamiliar to him, but one he would be able to know the owner of at any moment. Too lazy to get up, and noting that there was no true malice behind the aura, he opted to speak.

"So... She's carved her way into your heart as well, eh Riku?"

"I don't like you."

"Hah...that's no surprise."

"What is she to you?"

"A friend... an enemy... a sister... a lover... she's everything, and yet, at the same time, nothing to me. Confusing innit?"

The silver haired teen plopped down next to the wandering mercenary.

"What are you two anyway?"

"Can't say what she is... Don't think I ever figured that one out. Tight lipped on that one she tends to be. As for me... I'm someone who shouldn't exist."

"A Nobody..."

"Hah, I wish. No, it goes beyond that. Much like how your spiky headed friend's true power goes beyond even his understanding. As long as there is a need for me, I exist. She's got something like that."

"She pisses me off."

"She pisses _everyone_ off. She lives her life as she wishes, and nobody can stop her from doing so. It's probably what I love most about her."

Riku's head snapped over to Zero. "You love her?"

"Not _that_ kind, emo-pants. Well... maybe that kind... who knows? But all I can say is she's very important to me and... Hey, you got a pen?"

Confused by the sudden query, Riku absently reached into his pocket to find he did indeed have a pen. Zero uncapped it and gave a smile.

"My favourite type too. See this point here?" He gestured to the very tip. "On its own it just writes, but it's sharp enough that with a bit of force you  
can puncture skin. Do it at the right location and you get ink into someone's bloodstream. Not a very pleasant feeling, I'm told. Anyway, see that tree over there?"

Riku nodded. As soon as he did, Zero looked over at the tree and launched the pen. Surprising Riku, the pen flew straight to the centre of the tree where it seemed to sink in for a second...before the tree seemed to... _rip itself apart from within_. The bark in the location the pen seemed to lodge itself into, ripped and twisted until the entire tree appeared to explode into pieces... pieces that then _burst into tiny particles_.

Riku was speechless.

"That'll be you, if you manage in some form to hurt her."

"That... was a pen... how?"

"My blessing... and my curse. This was the power I was born with, this was the power that killed her once...and it's the power that kept her alive more than that. Keep this in mind Riku. Sora... Kairi... everyone else she's touched with her oddities... they will be nothing compared to what you will face from me if you hurt her."

He got up.

"Wait...I can-"

"If she chooses you, I will do nothing to stop that. If she chooses another however...well, it will be up to her."

A glowing light came from his back, turning into a pair of small silver wings.

"Damn I love these things... Gotta thank that Mithos kid for giving me that jewel... Oh... By the way...Nice hair."

**_--_**

Riku didn't stomp into the campsite. Because he was _not _angry. Not even slightly. Not even in the tiniest, weeniest, slightest bit. No, he entered it calmly, applying only that _tiny _bit more force into his footsteps. Not to say that fact didn't make him painfully aware of Sora's eyes on him, slightly concerned, and with one eyebrow raised, or the fact that Toph had tensed slightly at his appearance and seemed to be grinding her teeth slightly. He stared at Sora for a moment, making the brunette raise a hand and flick his wrist pointedly in reply, a silent '_talk to you later, then_'. Then he sat down at the edge of the site, back against a tree, shooting a pointless glare at Ally directly opposite him across the fire. She stared back obliviously, violet eyes loosing their sheen for a tiny moment, raising an eyebrow in question, only to have him look away from her entirely.

He started slightly as someone sat down beside him- someone unfamiliar and yet familiar all at the same time. He turned his head and stared at the short boy for a moment, entirely alarmed by his off-world clothing, and his blue cat-like eyes. He had very short blonde hair and appeared to stare at Riku for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"You're an idiot you know."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Carnivic Loserville, the seventeenth," the boy replied. "Honourable servant of King Samuel. Leader of the Dwarvish society of Arran, and honorary Gnome Boy of the South." Riku blinked. "And you really are an idiot."

"Go screw yourself."

"I'm thirteen, I don't swing that way."

Riku blinked again, eyes narrowing at the boy before another voice met his ears, breaking his thoughts.

"You okay, Riku?"

He turned his head to glare at the blind girl who sat down on his other side without a care in the world. He frowned, reminding himself again that he _was not angry_.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You were talking to yourself."

"I was not. I was talking to-" he cut himself off, turning to notice that 'Carnavic Loserville the seventeenth' had, in fact, disappeared entirely.

"There was no one there, Riku," Toph reassured him, twiddling her fingers curiously. "Just you sitting on your own here being angry."

"I'm not angry."

"You're lying," she pointed out simply, reminding him of their earlier conversation about how she could sense a person's heartbeat. "Any theories?"

Riku sighed, lifting a hand and ruffling his short hair uncomfortably. "Yes," he replied. "Just one that actually makes sense." He rested his head on his palm and staring at the crackling fire. "I am steadily loosing my mind." Toph chuckled at the flat tone of his voice.

"Yeah? Welcome to the club."

Riku chuckled. "So how am I going with my earthbending, oh master of mine?" he asked curiously, earning a similar chuckle in return as the younger girl lightened the mood.

"Way I see it, you'll be better than twinkletoes by tomorrow night," she said simply. "Which, when you think about it, is kinda sad. 'Cause he's been doing it for about two months now, I think, and it took him that long to get as good as he is. Which is really good. But you'll pretty much be a master by tomorrow evening. Which means it'll've taken you two days. Two days to his two months. What the heck?" Riku merely grunted. "You sure you ain't earthbended before yesterday?"

"I'm sure," he replied slowly. "I just walked around blindfolded for a year and a bit."

"Ah."

"Who's that?" she asked abruptly, lifting a hand to point at Ally. Riku glanced uncertainly across the fire before looking back at Toph.

"It's Ally- she's been here the whole time," he said doubtfully. "We really are going insane, aren't we."

"No," she scoffed in reply. "Not Ally. The guy behind her. He's tall. And I'm guessing he's very talented at moving his feet. He's like twinkletoes. 'Cept he's not."

Riku looked again, eyes narrowing slightly as Zero emerged from the shadows behind Ally and knelt down beside her. His eyes narrowed further as Zero leaned in close- _way _too close for Riku's comfort- and whispered something in the girl's ear. Ally grinned, violet eyes lighting up curiously as her gaze lifted again to Riku, watching him thoughtfully.

"Zero," Riku hissed, turning his eyes away to Toph again to see her nod.

"You don't like him, do you," she stated simply, not questioning him in the slightest.

"Nope. He's a dickhead." Toph seemed to flinch at the tone in his voice.

"Calm down, alright. Not my fault he's hanging around the girl you like."

"I don't like her," he replied calmly, noting that the blind girl smirked pointedly. He frowned, heart sinking as he waited for the word to leave her lips, and plainly thankful that no one else was in the conversation to hear it.

"Liar."

He sighed, turning back to the fire defeatedly. "I know." There was a slight pause between them before the younger girl spoke again.

"Eh… no, no wait…" she said slowly. "Where they goin'?" Riku glanced over to Ally again, noting that she stood up slowly and made a small signal to Aang to get his attention, indicating he follow her and Zero. Riku's eyes narrowed further as they disappeared before he spoke to Toph again.

"I really wanna kill that guy."

She snorted slightly. "Yeah, that'd be right…" she paused for a moment before her hand shot up, pointing in the opposite direction to which Ally had disappeared. "And this would be right too. Right when Aang left, y'know?"

"It's 'sparky-sparky-boom-man' again, isn't it?" Riku asked dully.

"Yep."

"…We should have expected that, shouldn't we?"

"…Yep."

They were quiet for a moment, Toph's arm dropping and Riku running a hand uncomfortably through his shorter-than-before hair. "…We should probably go take care of that, shouldn't we."

"You really don't sound surprised," Toph commented simply, lifting her head as Sora headed over, standing next to them with his hands on his hips.

"That would be because," he replied for Riku, sounding slightly put off, "it kinda gets a little boring after the… what, fifth time?" he asked, glancing at Riku, who sighed, hauling himself to his feet.

"Sixth. It was the sixth."

"…Ah, there you go," Sora commented dryly. "I've never been one for keeping track of things."

"That why you missed my seventh birthday?"

"…How'd you _know_?"

To which Riku snorted loudly and glanced at Toph as she too, stood.

"You coming too?" he asked curiously, earning a nod and an evil grin.

"Let's see what you've learned."

**_--_**

"You sure he's here?"

"Yep."

"Sure you're sure? …Like… _absolutely _sure?"

"…No."

"You're kidding, aren't you."

"_Yes_. And I'm _sure _he's here. You're annoying when you're bored."

"No, he's pretty much always like that…"

"Yeah. _Thanks_ Riku. That was so very nice of you."

There was a slight pause.

"…You _sure _he's here…?"

"_Oh-for-god's-sake-he's-here-already-get-it!?_" Toph replied, noting that the brunette seemed to do nothing but turn and look at her. "…You're pulling a face at me aren't you. It'd be effective, y'know… I dunno… maybe… _if I could see_?!"

"…I was raising an eyebrow. I do not often pull faces."

"He doesn't have to," Riku commented. "His face is always like that."

"Oh, you're the king of rude humour _today_, aren't you," Sora shot back, slightly mocking, slightly frustrated. "It is not my fault that Ally and Zero have a history- and a long one at that."

"This has nothing to do with Ally."

"You're right, it has to do with Zero."

"Shut up, Sora."

Sora merely sighed, closing his mouth and accepting the fact that if he persisted with the conversation he'd be taking a one-way road to a very solid punch in the face. He glanced at Toph for a moment before sniffing his submission. In doing so, he caught a particular scent that he had, in no way whatsoever, wanted to taste again.

"Got him," he hissed suddenly, turning to follow the scent quickly even as Riku fixed him with a slight variation of his normal face that meant surprise. Only just in time did he follow after the brunette, realising Sora had gotten much faster than he'd been only days before in Port Royal, as he seemed to flash from right by Riku's side to the edge of the trees in the third clearing they'd come across.

"How'd he do that?" Toph asked, immediately running after them as they left the clearing, heading northwards.

"What? The scent picking or the moving?" Riku asked dully. "Because either way, I have no idea." She laughed.

"Fair play."

Sora, who was several metres ahead of them and sniffing the air for the not-quite-grey scent and surprisingly ignorant of the tingling sensation in his fingers and his mouth, was bounding through the forest that seemed to get denser around him with every step. He also seemed more than just a little unaware that he was practically running around on all fours. Sooner than later he was basically jumping from tree to tree, picking up speed and momentum, until he flew out of the foliage and into a clearing, Oathkeeper keyblade appearing in hand.

He flew several metres before he swiped the keyblade in front of him, meeting a clang of resistance from the interrupted chaser's metal arm.

"You're getting sharper, Sora," the big man appeared to say, his lips moving while the disjointed voice seemed to come from all around him. Sora didn't have the chance to dwell on it though (of course, even if he did have the chance, his animalistic tendencies would have led him not to), as the big man with the third eye tattoo jerked his arm violently and sent the brunette flying. The keyblade master turned his centre of gravity, flipping once in the air to land on his feet and skid backwards several paces, his fingers brushing against the ground. His lips pulled away from his fangs slightly as he eyes his stoic opponent and he gave a sharp yellow-eyed glanced to Riku as he entered the clearing. Said silver haired companion merely stared at him with a look that plainly said 'this whole thing is getting old, y'know…'

"Will you join me now, little keyblade master or is it time for you to sing your last song?" Zeke, or more specifically, Vasaar, called, watching from his own place offworld. Sora merely cocked his head to the side and took a slight step to his left, his whole body moving in a graceful movement as he walked on all-fours, keyblade forgotten. Even as he did so, he seemed to speak under his breath, slowly getting louder, but still not breaking past quiet.

"_I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts_," he said, half singing in an airy, slightly hissed voice. "_Tiddle-dee-dee. There they are all standing in a row…_" Riku couldn't help but grin as the brunette slid around the edge of the clearing, eyeing the chaser blankly. "_Dum, dum, dum,_" he chanted, whereupon he flashed to Zeke's side, Oathkeeper drawn once again. Next he spoke his voice was getting louder, raspy and rough. A force shifted in his voice in time with the pressure exerted into each hit with his keyblade- one hit for every couple of words. "_Big ones, small ones, ones as big as your head_."

Zeke tensed visibly, blocking as well as he could with his metal arm, before Sora, on some insane natural instinct, spun to the right to avoid Zeke's view, just as his third eye let loose his wave of mind power. The ground behind where Sora used to be exploded in on itself and dust went everywhere. Then it was Riku's turn to strike, rushing in to slash the big man across the back with Way To Dawn, and sadly rewarding both himself and Sora with an ignored spray of blood. Sora growled as Zeke turned to them, emotionless and blank as always, parrying the flurry of blows from both of their keyblades at once.

Moments later, Riku was thrown back, gasping for breath as he was caught by a steel blow in the gut. He laid, winded, on the ground, several metres away, watching with wide eyes as Sora stopped entirely, hesitant for some reason unknown even to him, staring at the cycloptic man's third eye.

"If this is what you wish, young shadow prince, I suppose you'll get what you deserve," Vasaar announced, disembodied, not even having the chaser move his mouth anymore. Before Sora could blink, Zeke had shot another burst of power at the keyblade master, and even as quick as he was, he had no time to dodge it.

With a grunt, he hauled his keyblade in front of him, gripping it with a hand at each end and attempting to hold off the immense power of the chaser. He felt his muscles begin to shake, felt himself slide backwards, pushed by the explosive power. Before he knew it, he was growling with the strain, the shaking in his arms moving to the rest of his body. With one short snarl, he was thrown backwards, unable to hold any longer.

Riku shouted.

Sora crashed to the ground, unmoving.

An ear breaking shatter met all their ears.

Sora didn't move, feeling parts of something fall around him, soundless. There was silence- tense and slightly anxious. He opened his eyes slightly, watching the glowing shards around him as they slowly disappeared, and he knew they were never to return. Yellow eyes examined the cracked and broken object in his palm as he finally brought it up to his face, examining it with a hollow sense of dread, somehow knowing all there was to know about this strange phenomenon.

The Oathkeeper had shattered into pieces. And it wasn't coming back.

* * *

I don't know why, but I kind thought of that yesterday, so… like you all know, I sorta write it as it goes. And it just went. So there. Oathkeeper is dead. It is no more. It's gone in to the abyss. Kicked the bucket. Joined the pyreflies. Right? You get it? Good. No asking. He can still use a keyblade. Just not that one.

XD

Was sorely tempted to keep going, but that seemed like a good place to end it. I'm keeping you at the edge of your seats. I enjoy it. I'm torturing you and you don't even know me. MUAHAHAHAHAHA! (This is step one on my plan for world domination!!)

:)

Cookies to whoever guesses the main-ish character who dies after Zeke. There is only one I have planned. I _really _thought my hint last chapter was obvious…

16 replies today XD.

**MrMaster: I have never before described anyone as an adoring fan. It did make me smile to read that, though. XD You're awesome. All your reviews were very interesting. And about Sora and Kairi finally getting together- yes, I did very muchly also thiink that I took my bloody time getting there, I just really didn't notice until I'd actually finished chapter 22. I'm actually very inattentive. I'm a hero of the old romantics as well, despite all claims to the contrary. It was my favourite secret for a while there. :)**

**Katie: XD Updating now. Are you happy with this? I hope so. You were a new reviewer as well. And I love new reviewers. Over time they become old reviewers. And most of my old reviewers become semi-friends. Because I don't know you but I talk to you, y'see? Sorry if I left you bored waiting. I'll kill my history assignment and ignore my art one entirely to finish the next chapter for you. Also, you reviewed my Eragon fic too. That makes you... either my second or third dual fic reviewer. Either way, that makes you awesome.**

**Ace31592: 'rai! I get your longer reviews? That makes me smile. I give you a cookie now. Andre and Zero will not join Sora and co. Zero's just doing a cameo for a couple of chapters (because I got bored and had nothing to write...) and without Andre I have no favourite stalker bad guy. Plus, Andre has to have a whole rearranging streak to switch sides. I based him on my cousin- and my cousin wouldn't do that, so neither will he! MUAHAHAHA! Christian has been off scene with the Disney Castle crew- 'cause he and Mickey have some planning to get to. BUT HE WILL BE BACK! Preferably soon, too.**

**Krystal Lily Potter: What do you know- you reviewed me and I reviewed you. I have no movies. You have 200. Ehhe. That's quite the comparison. Well, Ally burned his shirt plainly because she could. The idea was that they were arguing and she did it once accidentally but then kinda sorta wound up doing it on purpose just to piss him off. Idk- she's just weird like that. (Btw- 'ergo'? One of my favourite words. I purposely phrase things so I can use it. XD)**

**xxxxxXaikalhxxxxx: thank you. That made me very warm and fuzzy inside. XD**

**GuardianImmortal: Avatar World was brought about randomly when I decided a couple of weeks ago that I was bored. My mind was blanking on Disney worlds for a little there, and I enjoy going to somewhere different to in the game. Meh. Don't worry about telling me to update when you haven't- I do that frequently to other people too. What can I say? I'm a hypocrite. I like that you like Ally. She's odd. And reviews really don't have to be on topic. For instance- I have a tendency to ramble (could you guess?). XD**

**Voltair27: XD Yes, you made me laugh. I'll take your ten bucks and your sprinkles and tell you that you may, infact, send me whatever you think should be in next chapter/s- possible plural 'cause next chapter's almost done (did you read Zero's input? It was the second scene). Good luck.**

**Bloodcherry: rofl. Them weird Riku fan girls. I would laugh if they really did start screaming that. I would laugh hard. Them RNR's shall go to hell eventually, I swear it. XD No, it doesn't snow here. That's a very sad-making fact. I wish it snowed here. There's not snow, I just freeze. Swedish, Japanese...? It's all hardkorr to me. And slightly headachey. But I'll let that slide. Please send me story ideas? I'll do dedications! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! **

**A-Dizzle: My characters enjoy using slang and not being punctual. XD Ergo- when I write it, I generally know it's wrong. Unless I actually spell something wrong, in which 'cause that's just my stupidness showing through... XD You picture Riku with short hair. I can half see it. SOMEONE DRAW IT FOR ME! I'll link it. That would give me something to look forward to (I'm going back to school in two days...).**

**eCZi: Look at all the new reviews I got from blackmailing! I told you it'd work... no, wait... you told me it would work... SAME DIFF! I don't actually know what the Sunny Dance looks like, so I kinda just slipped it in there... Ally will not die. Wanna know why? Because she's my favourite. I actually pick favourites out of fictional characters. I know I need a life. Oh, yes, our concubinish-neff is going to take all them RNR's down. That was a rather long review, not a short one. But I like them when they're longer. 'Specially when they're as random as yours. They make me laugh. And I'm assuming your mother and brother really weren't getting along. Liked the 'have a nice day' stuck on the end there. It was very subtle. XD.**

**Jupiter-Lightning: Sorry I made you feel bad. I have a tendency to do that to people without realising. If you ever meet me, you may kick me in the knee for it. Especially if it's a thursday morning. If you kick me hard enough I'll get out of P.E. XD idk, I could threaten every chapter...**

**Amu123: XD Thankyou for reviewing. Both boys now have haircuts (and geez, did they need them...!). And both boys will soon have something else. Take a guess. The 'o amazing one' had me roaring with laughter. I got another genuine W.T.F...!? look from my sister for it. XD**

**darth-korbo: I try my best at filler chapters, and apparently you like them. I hate them. They squish my brain. (P.S. If I have my way, Riku will not be dancing much longer... (: ).**

**Zeromaru Chaos Mode: THANK YOU! If you hadn't sent me that, I really probably wouldn't have written anything at all. Everyone should fall at your feet in thanks. XD. I would write a past chapter, but you know I make it up as I go. Ergo- it's not that I haven't planned ahead- it's that I haven't planned backwards. Roflmao about the yaoi fangirls comment. But it was really quite innapropriate (dw, I really wouldn't expect any less :) It's what makes you original). Grasping at straws? Yeah, I am, actually. What you sent me wasn't what I had in mind. IT WAS BETTER! Thomas the Tank engine. Rofl. Bidoof do suck. But I will forever detest Pikachu. I really am quite sorry for that. Lol, we are legion, we are many... claaaassic... **

**Scarpaw: UPDATING! Please stay away from my non-existent front steps! (uh... my house is ground levelled... XD) And if those bunny's come anywhere near me in the middle of the night- well, I have a metal stick beside my bed (it fell out of the window...) and I'm not afraid to use it. You have a cookie for your review. It had me laughing for several minutes. XD**

**ChaosOfShadowz: Why do people keep calling me emo? I'm thinking of a penname change, actually. But It might turn slightly chaotic. iPods are actually quite lame. You have to charge them on the computer. I am an owner of the kardkorr mp3 that enjoys replaceable AAA batteries. XD. Dairy queen? wtf? And the screwing up I spoke of wasn't to do with the chapter. It had to do with a video game... that I kinda-accidentally-really-didn't-mean-to saved over... Ehhe. _Save me_.**

Sora-Kairi-4-ever, okiegirlforever, and RoxasTheOther- I miss you! Where'd you go?

:'(

I may not believe in God, but if I did and he knew it, he'd be telling you to review right now.

XD!!


	31. A Little Miscommunication

Disclaimer: I live with my _mother_. Believe me- I don't own it. Though, I do own this excessively long chapter that's over fifteen pages. I own it because I wrote it. So I own the plotline. And Ally. And the new keyblades… But that's about it. Oh, and just a little advice- bright screens and headaches? Nope, they don't mix…

Fighting through my sickness to bring this chapter to you. XD Concubinish-neff ftw!

_I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts_

_(Tiddle dee dee)_

_There they are all standing in a row…_

* * *

**Chapter 31.**

Her keychain was mangled and broken in his hand, slightly smudged with his own blood. He stared at it, comprehension not growing in him. He already knew. It was useless- his favourite, the one he kept closest to his heart. And it had shattered.

He felt an overwhelming, gut wrenching fear for a moment- worried that she would never forgive him for this extremely guilt-making occurrence. But it dissipated in an instant as he was overcome by anger. Blind, pulsating fury that seemed to course through his veins. He clenched his fist slowly, not flinching as he heard a slight scuffle at his other side, something landing beside him. He did, however, turn to stare at it's source.

The small metal circle gleamed silver on one side, metallic black and white on the other- a half moon that was half blacked out. He reached out his other hand, ignoring everything around him as he did so, and picked up the small medallion as he lay on the ground, biting back his anger for several moments as he examined the new keychain. A familiar sound told him that Riku had found himself something similar- _very _similar, practically two of a pair. Slowly, Sora got to his feet, one keychain in each hand, and after a slight squeeze of the broken shards of the Oathkeeper keychain with clawed finger, slipped them into his pocket.

"Is your heart broken yet, Sora?"

His eyes shot up, fixing the chaser, or more particularly the man controlling him, with an unforgiving glare as he started growling, barely noticing as the half-moon keychain in his hand seemed to disappear. In only a moment he was at the chaser's side, plunging the sharp keyblade cruelly into Zeke's stomach and hunching him over slightly. He released the worn leather grip as the man's blood ran down to it, coating his hand in the red liquid before dripping off the hilt. He brought his hand with him as he stepped past the big man, until, with a backstabbing motion, it reappeared, duplicating itself, and plunged into the man's back. The two keyblades mirrored each other, unmoving as the large man convulsed, finally wavering as his breath caught and his knees buckled, blood seeping from his wounds and from his mouth as he choked on his own breath.

There was a slight crackling sound, resembling the pop of fireworks, that seemed to come from inside the big chaser, before he seemed to explode. The self-destruction sent Sora flying once again, and he, yet again, crashed to the ground, this time seeming unwilling to stand again.

Lying motionlessly on his stomach, he stared at the one hand in front of him while his other seemed motionless at his side. His shoulder felt as if it may have been dislocated, but he was beyond caring. With a slight wisp of smoke, the keyblade reappeared in his hand. He stared at it, slightly forlorn, as his yellow eyes examined the worn in leather and the metallic black hilt. The blade itself was broad, and double-edged, swirling and pointed in several places like some Celtic tattoo, alternately coloured to the hilt apart from several wisps of dark reddish colour near the tip and the teeth of the key that looked very much like fangs. Dark fur spanned some of it's lengths, seeming to curl around the blade and move on it's own, not connected in one set place.

"_Wolfsbane…_" he half-hissed, half-breathed, still not making a move. An image came to his mind, showing him Riku's keyblade in detail- exactly the same in every way except for it's opposing colours- metallic blue hilt, red and black blade, silverish fur. He closed his eyes as he felt a slight twinge in his gut, realising that, spent or not, he clearly wasn't done yet. Then, rather grudgingly, he started convulsing, ignoring the sounds that told him that Riku, too, was changing with the new keyblade.

"Uh… guys? What's going on?" Toph asked loudly, rather rudely ignored by the both of them. "Guys?" She stomped her feet after a minute, rather angry at being ignored, before someone put their hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention.

"Wait, Toph," Aang, newly intruding, told her. "They're changing."

"What?"

"Ally gave them new keyblades," he explained dully, relaying the information he'd been given. "Both of them. And it's having a rather painful effect, by the looks of it."

"Well, just in case you've forgotten again, I'm _blind_!" she retorted frustratedly, moving as if to look to her left as two others stepped up beside her. She sighed slightly, realising it was none other than Zero and Ally.

"This might be one of those few times you're happy about that," Ally said, seeming extremely quiet all of a sudden. Aang, noticed, glancing over at her curiously.

"Why are you wringing your hands?" he asked, suddenly just as quiet, watching as her violet eyes flickered between the two boys at opposing ends of the clearing as they both writhed, clearly in pain. She winced as they both started snarling, entirely inhuman.

"I'm starting to think this was not a good idea-"

"Ally, just give it a couple of minutes," Zero told her quickly, not letting her go on. "Close your eyes and count down from ten if you have to-" He was cut off then with a solid slap to the face, frowning slightly at the sting of it before looking back to Ally only to see that her eyes had barely turned to him for a moment. "What was that fo-"

"I did this to them, I'm _going _to make sure it at least _works_."

"A-"

"Oh, shut _up_, Zero! He broke the freaking Oathkeeper! That doesn't just _happen_!! And if you really think it's oh so _fucking _alright for anyone to be in that much pain just for a freaking _drive form_, you can go join them!" She stopped her outburst then, ignoring the fact that he simply stared at her for a moment, before she turned and glanced at him, slightly apologetic, but not extremely. When she turned back to the two boys, she tensed up visibly, noting the sudden lack of sound. "…Where'd they go?"

Toph seemed to think for a moment before answering the question for her, knowing both boys had left the thrashing floor and the scorch marks in the centre where Zeke had imploded.

"Whatever took Riku's place is going back to the camp," she replied slowly, slightly uncertain. "Wherever Sora's gone, though, is a mystery to me."

"What do you mean by 'whatever took Riku's place'?" Aang asked quickly, not quite comprehending what had happened. Toph frowned.

"I mean Riku was the one writhing on the ground, but whatever stood up and walked off from where he was a moment ago _wasn't human_," she told him, stressing the words and turning curiously as Ally took the cue to shoot back to the camp.

"Hey!? Where are _you_ goin?" Zero called after her, raising an eyebrow.

"If you guys really can't figure out the drive form that comes from the _Blue Moon_ and the _Wolfsbane_, then you _really_ must be stupid!" was her simple reply.

ФФФФФ

It was not often that Zero brooded over women. No- not very often at all. But of course, upon entering the campsite and seeing Ally seated beside the fire, eyeing the silver-furred wolf with soft eyes and reaching out to stroke it's head while she murmured soft words to him, Zero really couldn't stop himself. In fact, he took it upon himself to sit down in the shadows of the very edge of the camp and wait for proper darkness to fall, glaring at the chaser girl and the wolf and thinking very angry thoughts.

And when darkness finally fell and the others returned to the camp as well, he was too far immersed in glaring at his adversary that he, too, failed to notice something very important was missing.

ФФФФФ

As soon as the pain subsided from his body, temporary transformation complete, he shot up and bounded out of the clearing, metres away in moments. Dark brown, almost black fur, shimmered illusively in the glowing twilight that made it through the tree cover, totally streamlined. Ignoring the throbbing in his left shoulder, Sora continued on, growling angrily in the back of his throat as he caught the particular scent and followed it rather guiltily.

He felt the slightly sickening tug at his skin as he concentrated on being human again, figuring somewhere in his clouded mind that appearing as a wolf would probably not be his best idea under the circumstances. Next he knew he was running on two feet, slightly hunched in his posture, even his fastest pace too slow for him, wearing similar but different clothing to normal- reasonably more worn out and darker. He reached the river and it's small clearing where he'd faced Andre the night before, barely slowing his pace as he left the trees and started for the water, and, more specifically, the auburn-haired girl practising there.

She started in surprise at his sudden appearance beside her, making the tiniest movement with her hands in alarm before he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her tightly against him.

"Oh…kay…?" she murmured quietly. She shot Katara a dirty look as the girl attempted to sidle out of the clearing, only to get a very large grin in return.

"Should be getting back anyway!" she said, before turning and running back through the trees. There were several moments of silence before Kairi spoke again.

"Is there any special reason for this particular show of affection?" She frowned after another moment of silence that showed him doing no more than clutching the back of her shirt tighter with his clawed right hand. "Alrighty then… What happened this time?" For the second time, a frown was brought to her face as he stepped backwards slightly, but not so far as she could see his face, and dug something out of his pocket, wincing visibly as he barely moved his left arm to do so. He slipped it into her hand, then stepped away entirely, eyes averted completely.

She brought her hand up to stare at the shards of her lucky charm, not moving for several minutes afterwards, uncomprehending. Then, slightly unexpected, but not totally, she brought her other hand up and slapped Sora solidly across the face. Another quiet moment passed, in which she was trying to find words while he simply fell to his knees in silence, unable to stand on his own any longer.

"You… you broke it…" she whispered, sad and angry. "You… _jerk_." Upon which she took it as her cue to leave, not even looking at him long enough to notice the strange ruggedness of his appearance or the dark shadows around his eyes that were cast by his fringe while his head was bowed and his bangs fell over his eyes. Nor did she notice the blood, be it Zeke's or his own, that coated half of his being, and had probably transferred slightly onto her own clothes. As she reached the edge of the clearing she glanced back, just in time to see a dark wolf with piercing, pale yellow eyes staring at her from across the river, no Sora in sight. It seemed to shake its shaggy head slightly before turning away entirely and slinking quickly off into the trees, avoiding putting any pressure on it front left leg.

Too infuriated to try and figure out what the hell was going on, nor to care, she turned and continued back to the camp to join the others, broken charm clenched tightly in her fist. Little did she know that she would be the second member of their group to spend most of the night brooding.

She'd also be the second person who really should've noticed, at the very least, that Sora didn't come back.

ФФФФФ

Dawn broke slowly, waking all off-worlders and on-worlders alike within a very small space of time. Ally, as usual, was first to wake, examining Riku, now back to normal, beside her before she sat up grudgingly and stared at the burned out fire. Riku sat up only a moment later, gripping his stomach as if he'd just been stabbed and ruffling his hair after he'd taken a moment and calmed down.

"You feel that?" he asked her quietly, slowly turning himself around to sit properly beside her. She glanced at him for a moment before giving him a small nod.

"I don't know what it is, but something's not right here. Can't place it…" was her whispered reply before they both fell into silence, staring at the glowing embers and the black coals in the fireplace. The others woke one by one, all voicing the same feeling at some point or another. It wasn't until Kairi woke, still disgruntled from the day before, yet immediately alerted by Sora's absence from her side after the past few days of waking with him, that anyone actually figured it out. She made a short noise as she sat up, instantly gaining Riku's attention as she rubbed her eyes slightly and gestured around her.

"Where's Sora?" she asked slowly, noting that he exchanged a quick look with Ally before they both stood up, looking over everyone quickly. The exchanged another glance before speaking together.

"Now, how the _hell_ did we miss _that_?"

The words were loud enough to wake Sokka, even, who was too deep in his slumber to respond to pretty much anything. Within moments Ally had all eyes on her, trying to figure out the situation.

"Anyone see Sora at any time last night? _Any _time. 'Cause me and Riku didn't see him at all after he killed Zeke for killing his keyblade."

"The _chaser_ shattered the Oathkeeper?" Kairi asked quietly, earning a slightly exasperated look from Ally.

"What'd you think- he tore it up himself? He loved that keyblade- and for a reason too. It was his favourite." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Where would he be, anyway? If he was going back to the ship he would've at least said something. Else wise he would've come back anyway- wolfy or not."

"…Wolfy?" Kairi asked, seeming to go slightly pale. "Like Riku and the werewolf form?" she question, earning a small nod from Ally and an expression saying 'what are you getting at here…?'. Kairi winced, getting to her feet. "Oh, crap." Ally pretty much seemed to sweatdrop at that, shaking her head.

"I don't even _want_ to know," she decided simply, turning to Riku. "Show me your keychain." He stared at her curiously for a moment, and she raised an eyebrow. "_Now_ would be good!" He dragged the small medallion out of his pocket after a moment, staring at it curiously as the black and white metal, reverse of Sora's keychain, seemed to be glowing blue. "Well, that means he's still in wolf mode."

"He's still hurt, too, I'll bet you that," Riku commented slowly.

"I wouldn't take that bet, and you know this," she retorted sharply, staring, troubled, at his keychain until he put it away. "The werewolfy drive suppresses his darkness in a way- sorta channels it at the same time…" Ally explained slowly. "Means he won't have healed any flesh wounds from yesterday at all unless he had a potion or two on him- and I'm pretty damn sure he didn't. Even so, he should be fine, and he'll turn up eventually."

"Uh…" Riku paused thoughtfully, disregarding her completely and turning to Aang quickly, slightly doubtful. "Is there anyone else we should know about that's trying to kill you? As in… anyone significant?"

"Well," the young airbender began thoughtfully. "There's the entire Fire Nation Army," he said, seeming to tick it off on his fingers, still slightly asleep. "The firelord- not that he's likely to come looking for us, really, since the eclipse, and he's expecting us to go back to him, really… Then there's Zuko- he's been after us since this all started, actually, but we don't mind, he's fun to run away from… Oh, then there's his sister, Azula, who has a couple of very weird friends called Tylee and Mei and-"

"Please dear lord tell me that's it…" Riku muttered, pulling a face. Aang chuckled awkwardly, nodding simply, and Riku seemed to think it over. "Am I right in saying the three girls you mentioned are going to be the most dangerous?"

"Yes."

"And they're the most likely to turn up?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past Zuko, but-"

"I'll take that as a yes," Riku said, cutting in dully. "So there's three of them, they're skilled, dangerous, and they have a strange tendency to turn up at the oddest and worst of times?" he asked, trying to reiterate it.

"Yep," Aang replied slowly trying to see where this was going.

"Knowing full well what Sora did yesterday," Riku continued, talking the most he had in a very long time out of worry for his friend. "Pretend for me that he's versing these three girls alone, totally tired, possibly suffering blood loss, lacking his left arm, and no longer angry in the slightest- possibly slightly depressed and very exhausted. Think he'd beat them?" Aang stopped moving entirely for a moment, closing his eyes and visually picturing the scenario, wincing once or twice as he analysed it. Then he opened his eyes and looked at Ally.

"I _think_ we should be worried."

Ally blinked, turning her eyes back to Riku.

"I'm seeing something wrong with that picture for some reason," she told him quietly, only to have him shake his head.

"There's nothing wrong with it," he told her. "His left shoulder was dislocated after the fight yesterday. He wouldn't know how to fix it on his own. If he runs into them, he'll lose. We both know he can take a lot, but with his darkness suppressed, we'd better hope to hell he has a higher pain threshold than he used to." Ally stared at him for a moment, then glanced to Aang, who only seemed to reiterate the statement. She turned her eyes to Kairi, who was deathly silent and seemed to be getting paler by the moment, and then to Zero, who just stared back with a look that said to her 'for the first time in my life I can't find what I need to and I'm being forced against every fiber of my being to agree with a guy I really don't like. Don't look at me. I'm failing right now.'

"Oh. Crap."

Riku frowned, itching to leave and find his friend, preferably _before_ something happened to him. "How do we find him?" Kairi asked, words deathly quiet. Aang turned his eyes to his friends.

"Toph?" he asked, being met only with a shake of the head.

"I can't find him on this side of the river, and I don't think I'd be able to on the other side either. He's been gone a while. I'd imagine he's a _long_ way away." Riku then turned his eyes pointedly to Zero, earning no more than a shrug.

"I don't know. If I can't find him from here, then I can't find him from anywhere. And I can't find him from here," the merc said quickly. "I _should_ have payed more attention." Riku frowned, looking away thoughtfully before he realised Ally had her eyes locked on him.

"What…?" he asked, slightly suspicious. She narrowed her eyes significantly, examining him while she continued her strain of thought.

"You know how Mister Sora finds people, don't you?" she asked him slowly, seeing the flash of comprehension in his eyes.

"Do you think it'd work?"

"Works for him either way. And you will be wolfish at the time," she told him, not even waiting for the others to catch up with them in the conversation. "Besides that- can't hurt to try. And if we don't have that, we have nothing."

ФФФФФ

The two girls were following Riku rather curiously, matching his pace steadily while he continued to lope through the forest, focusing on a trail that only he could see. Zero had left them earlier, saying he'd go into town and try to find his own way from there. Aang and his group were searching on Appa, their flying bison, and they'd parted with no more than a small trinket given to Ally and a quick goodbye. Now Riku was following his friend's trail, and the two girls were following him.

"When you've been walking for two hours and still haven't found what you're looking for, you actually _really _start to worry," Ally muttered to herself, noting the small grunt that Kairi gave in reply. "Ah. You already _were_ **really** worrying, weren't you."

"You don't say."

"Touchy," Ally replied, half singing it. "Are you going to kill him when you find him? Because if you don't, I will."

"I was thinking about it," Kairi answered eventually. "But it would kind of be immoral considering his running off was my fault." Ally made a contemplative sound in reply, looking up from her view of the tangled roots of the forest floor beneath them as Riku stopped moving. She stared, slightly hopeful for a moment, before he sniffed and started walking again, turning silver and furry for several moments to pick up the scent again and then reverting to normal. Kairi cocked her head to the side, still striding after her friend. "I still don't get what was going on yesterday."

"Ah, long story," Ally said, yawning slightly. "Basically, Sora got all shadowy when they went looking for Zeke. Me, Zero and Aang were off looking for something for the keychains I made- Zero had some stroke of genius telling us to go right in time to miss the battle, of course, but it was for a good cause. We got there just in time to see Sora get stuck right in Zeke's way, so he got the explosion-ey thingo shot at him-"

"Naturally," Kairi commented dully, half sighing at the thought.

"-and he was in no position to dodge. So he dragged up the Oathkeeper, held it infront of him, and attempted to use it to fend off Zeke's power. I was amazed, really, that shattering the keyblade was all that Zeke managed," Ally told her. "Then he flew backwards with the power of the explosion and all the shards landed on him. He sort of just laid there for a couple of minutes, not moving. No one moved- everyone was wondering whether or not he was dead, really. But he was really just staring at the pieces of the keychain in his hand. When he finally got back up, he was bloody furious. He'd picked up the new keychain by then, and he sorta just wound up using it without thinking."

"Yeah, that'd be about right."

"Ehhe. Well, things got very messy for Zeke then. Two keyblades through him at the same time- both Sora's and both the same, which was kind of odd," Ally commented dully. "Zeke self-destructed. Sora was thrown off again- landed on his shoulder really badly, that's how he dislocated it, I'm assuming. Then him and Riku- who was already down 'cause he got hit with one really hard blow a bit earlier and was at the complete opposite side of the clearing – both started getting their drive forms. They were in a lot of pain from changing the first time. I imagine it'd feel pretty damn horrible. They were there one minute and both gone the next. Went after Riku 'cause we knew he was going back to the camp. Kind of figured Sora would be after you 'cause he was going all shadowy normally. And he did- wha'd'ya know? But I'm assuming he didn't wind up saying much, because clearly you said something to him that made him run off. Normally he knows better than to go off without Riku or me. Not yesterday."

"I slapped him."

"Ah. That _would _explain part of it."

"Then I called him a jerk."

"…And _that_ would explain the other part…" Ally muttered. She stared, again, at Riku, as he stopped once more, tearing at what was left of his shirt (Ally had another… _accident _with her firebending earlier…) and wrapping strips of cloth around his hands for some reason. Then he was off again, his pace now doubled.

The two girls sped up, following after him until they came out of the forest and onto a dirt road propped between the trees and a short cliff face. The road went quite clearly in two directions, sporting a tall signpost that showed what was in each direction. Riku stared blankly at the signpost, unseeing of the signs. His eyes were fixed on the short blonde boy sitting on the top of it, greyish-blue eyes staring back with a certain blunt sparkle to them. The small boy lifted his hand, pointing to his left and Riku's right.

"He went that way," Carnivic told him, half singing the sentence and kicking his legs around beneath him aimlessly. Riku growled slightly before he was off again, running in the direction he'd been pointed and leaving the two girls to stare curiously at the signpost, not quite understanding what he'd seen.

ФФФФФ

Ally seemed to be getting slightly twitchy, now.

The sun was getting lower in the sky- most of the day was gone. In all entirety, there was one- maybe two hours left in the day. And apparently this fact alone boded ill. After the black-haired girl had glanced at Riku's curiously slow pace for the twentieth-or-so time and then the sun's position in the sky for the fiftieth-or-some-such time, Kairi decided she'd had enough.

"Is there anything especially significant about the sunset today, Ally?" she asked tiredly, sighing at the thought.

"What?"

"Y'know- the sunset? The time of the day when it gets dark? Whereupon the giant ball of fire vacates the sky and it becomes night? Ringing any bells here?"

"Don't take that tone with me, Missy. You're sounding more and more like your lover every day. I don't know if that's a good thing."

"It's probably not," Kairi replied bluntly, staring at the dry, dusty road beneath her feet. "But that wasn't what I asked, was it. What's making you so jumpy about the sunset?" Ally seemed to freeze slightly.

"What gave you any implication whatsoever that I was, in any way, in fact, _jumpy_…?"

"Well, I don't know, but I'm pretty damned sure that sentence just then was a dead giveaway," Kairi answered dully, glancing ahead to Riku as he slowed again, not breaking the silence he'd held for the entire day. Ally sighed, shoulders hunching at whatever thought it was that crossed her mind.

"You really do sound like him, y'know. Much too knowing for your own good," The black haired girl said, half complaining. "Y'see, the problem here is- his keyblade shattered. That puts a lot of stress on today- gives him something he has to do today, see?"

"What would that imply?"

"If he doesn't summon his keyblade today- before sunset- he can't use it again. At all. Ever," Ally said quickly, closing her eyes tightly for a moment as Riku turned around and blinked at her. He growled slightly before turning back and speeding off again, suddenly finding that the need to find his friend had grown. "And that fact in itself poses a problem. A keyblade master without a keyblade really isn't anything at all." Kairi groaned for a moment.

"Didn't you say he already summoned another keyblade anyway?" she asked, stopping as she realised the three of them had reached a crossroads and Riku was standing stock-still, staring at the ground ahead of him.

"Well, yes, he did," Ally relented. "But he was angry at the time, it was only a few moments after, it was _yesterday, _and did I mention he was _furious_? Means he's still gotta get down to it today. Preferably without being angry. Because it'll be reasonably hard right about now, seeing as his other keyblades have pretty much lost faith in him at the moment. Why have we stopped?" At which she looked to Riku, watching him take several steps forward and stop again, crouching down beside some small dark patches on the ground in the centre of the crossroads. His fingers brushed one of the patches before coming up to his face red and sticky. He stared at the liquid for a moment before sniffing it curiously.

"Blood," he growled simply, his first word for the day. "Sora." He half crawled to another patch of blood on the ground, several metres away, and did a similar episode before spitting out a couple of loose words, seeing the scene in his mind as he picked up the collision of scents. "Metal. Knives- clawed," after which he chuckled slightly insanely, seeming to find something hilariously funny about whatever happened to the owner of the blood, before moving off to the third bloodied spot on the dirt road and repeating the sniffing process. He contemplated his answer for several moments before continuing. "Fire. Firebender – blue... Blue, blue, blue, blue… Bitten… no…" he trailed off thoughtfully, seeming uncertain, sniffing again before he turned and glanced at the second patch of blood he'd examined. "Metal. Metal – blue." He fell backwards into a sitting position before he started laughing again, still sounding slightly insane as the words made some kind of mundane sense in his mind.

"Are you _getting_ any of this?" Kairi asked Ally quietly, cocking her head to the side slightly until she actually glanced at her violet-haired friend, only to see the girl reply with a confused shake of the head.

"Nope," she replied. "I'm assuming that it gets better the more they use it, considering he couldn't speak this morning. We might actually be able to understand what he saying next time…"

"Ah."

"Net," Riku said loudly, his laughing suddenly stopped. His eyes were wide, staring at everything and nothing at the same time as he looked into the trees beside him. Ally and Kairi exchanged a look, both slightly worried by the word.

"Pretty sure I got that one," Kairi said quietly, turning back to Riku as he took several steps into the trees and knelt to pick something out of the grass, bringing it back to show them a pink piece of torn cloth.

"Three," he told them both gruffly, willing them to understand. Ally stared at him for a moment, trying to figure the whole thing out. He seemed to frown after a moment, clearly irritated, and pointed to the second patch of blood. "One- metal," he told her slowly before pointing to the third patch of blood, "two- blue. Firebender." He waited for a moment, watching her until she nodded slightly, brow furrowed, before he pointed to the place in the trees where he'd found the cloth fragment. "Three. Net." He paused again, seeing her nod once more before he pointed to the first patch of blood rather slowly. "Sora."

Kairi paled significantly as the image came to her head. Ally just groaned and slapped herself in the forehead, grumbling underneath her breath about how 'the useless prat just goes _looking _for a way to get his head caved in, doesn't he…' while Riku shifted his weight from one foot to the other and sniffed loudly, clearly wanting of their attention. Ally lifted her gaze to him again, already looking quite put off. He gestured down the road to their left and headed off quickly, leaving the two girls to follow at their own pace as he gave his last word.

"Close."

ФФФФФ

Sora grumbled slightly, pulling a face as he made his transition back into consciousness. He was firstly aware of the fact that he had a bloody throbbing headache. Next thing he noticed was that for some peculiar reason he appeared to be shirtless and the strong smell of medicinal herbs was attacking his nose. He sniffed quietly and opened his eyes, staring curiously as a girl stared back at him from the other side of the red tent. His eyes narrowed as she grinned and he found himself wondering why she was upside down. He growled slightly as he tried to move his hands, only to realise that both wrists were bound quite tightly behind his back while he was tied to a chair in the middle of the tent. The girl moved from her handstand to her feet and then to his side, grabbing a small jar of ointment and removing the cap rather quickly.

"Can I ask for a name to go with that pretty face of yours?" she asked him cheerily before she started to tend to his wounds. He growled loudly in response, earning a small giggle in reply from the flirtatious brunette as she continued to spread the clear ointment onto his injuries. "_Not_ very friendly."

"I seem to recall being tied to a chair," he replied pointedly, hearing her giggle again as he did so.

"Well, while I may accept that as an answer, I'm still thinking you should be thankful."

"Why's that?" he asked lowly, his voice still raspy in his new drive form. She laughed again, her tone light and bubbly.

"After your little scene with those darned friends of mine," she started quickly, poking him quickly in several places over his torso to find any further injuries as he gritted his teeth in frustration. "Mei was very angry." She paused thoughtfully. "I think…" Then she shrugged and flicked her braid over her shoulder and blew her fringe out of her eyes, seeming slightly put off. "But y'know- you can never really tell with Mei. And Azula's _always _angry, so you really wouldn't want to be left in her care regardless, but I'd guess especially not when she's so very angry at you for scratching that pretty face of hers."

"If I remember correctly, it was the knives that grazed her cheek, not me."

"Yeah, but Azula's not much one for technicalities. She's one of those very opinionated people who takes it as it comes and prefers to hurt things."

"Heh. I never would've guessed."

"I _like_ you," she chuckled. "You're funny. But still. You should be thankful. Particularly now that shoulder of yours is back in place."

"I guess I _should_ thank you for that," he rasped slowly, seeming to think it over. "But I'd rather enjoy having my shirt back first." She giggled at this and shook her head.

"No can do, Mister," she replied. "Because that would involve releasing you for a very short amount of time. And considering the fact that you took on both Azula and Mei at once while you were lacking an arm- not to mention almost won- tells me that it really can't happen. Very sneaky of you, though. I admire that in a guy."

"Sadly for you then, I'm very much taken," he replied quietly, laughing to himself as she groaned.

"Should've expected that, shouldn't I?"

"Probably."

"Tylee, I hear laughter," a very brisk voice interrupted from outside the tent, bringing a very bitter tasting scent to Sora's attention as a shadow was cast over the entrance to the tent. "I thought I told you that you weren't allowed to laugh. And to tell me when the prisoner woke up." Sora made a face.

"_The prisoner_? I've had seven or eight names over the years that I sorely disliked," he muttered quietly. "But seriously- _the prisoner_!? Not only does it make me feel like an inanimate object, but it's amazingly uncreative as well." Tylee snorted beside him, attempting to cover up her laughter.

"If it helps you any, Mei's been referring to you as 'wolf boy' for the entire day," she offered quietly, saying it rather quickly as a fairly short, black haired girl entered the tent. Sora smiled slightly, his eyes directed at the ground so his fringe shadowed over his eyes.

"It does, actually," he replied, almost silently as the newer girl approached, hands clasped behind her back and pretending there weren't three long red scratch marks ruining her complexion.

"Now, you are going to tell me your name, your age, everything about you," the new girl, presumably Azula, told him. He grinned. "You'll tell me how it is you know the Avatar- and yes, I know you do- and then you will join me to take him captive. You will do so _now_." Her brow furrowed in fury as he began chuckling. He lifted his head slowly, fixing her with his stunning blue gaze as there was a small light over his heart and he reverted to normalcy, despite the tingling in his teeth and his fingers.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I _said_ so."

"Now, you see," he started slowly, flexing his fingers as he felt his claws growing in, "I might have an _iddy-biddy _problem with that." She smirked at the words and flexed her fingers, and Tylee sighed loudly.

"Now, _you_ see, you probably shouldn't provoke her…" she murmured quietly, sweatdropping rather simply. Sora merely chuckled, straining a little on his ropes again, even as Azula's hands lit up with dangerous looking blue flames. He didn't even flinch.

"You _will _tell me your name," the black haired girl told him. He grunted out a laugh.

"Bite me."

He gave a short shout as she shot a small pyre of the azure flames at him, scalding his skin rather violently. The flames disappeared abruptly as he did so, and she fixed him with a victorious smirk that he wiped from her face with his laughter and a bright grin.

"That practically tickles!" he exclaimed loudly, giving a small shake of his shoulders as the red spot on his chest disappeared quickly, healing before their eyes. He could basically see the vein pop in her forehead before he was under fire again. This time, though, when the blue flames receded, she was met with a very blank look from the keyblade master. "You see," he started suddenly, "now you're just pissing me off."

There was a loud snap before he was out of the chair, the ropes falling uselessly to the ground, cut through. Only a moment later, a shocked Azula was flying back through the tent opening, having been unable to block the solid punch he delivered to her jaw. Then he was striding out after her, completely ignoring a slightly stunned Tylee. He emerged into the orange hue of the sky cast from the setting sun, ignoring the glare it threw into his eyes. He took a small step to the right, avoiding the burst of flame that then caught on to the tent behind him.

"Sorry Tylee," he called loudly, turning back to the figure outline in the sunset as the girl held her jaw, still staggering to her feet. "Now, y'see what you've made me do?" he asked sarcastically. "I don't _like _hitting girls! And I sure as hell haven't done it before!"

"Chivalry is dead," the girl retorted harshly, noting that he laughed rather humourlessly in response.

"All too right, miss," he told her quietly, sighing simply as the tent burned away behind him and Tylee came out behind him, jabbing him harshly in the back so his body went stiff.

"Nerve centres," she explained quietly. "Little places around your body that can stop all movement, given enough force applied." She sighed after a moment. "I _am _sorry. It's just- Azula's… well… y'know… And I'm sorry that you won't see your friends again. I really am." She could've sworn he was laughing if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't move. Her eyes widened and she glanced around in confusion as she heard him breathe out his mocking reply.

"_They're here_…"

ΦΦΦΦΦ

"So, I turn this corner, and…" Ally trailed off slowly, turning through the gap in the trees and leading Riku along by the hand, ignoring his lost expression as Kairi wandered along behind them. "…_eśse él la māna dagõr_," she continued fluently, earning a dull glance from Riku and a small frown from Kairi. "_Vua-la_…"

The clearing they'd entered had four large red tents in it, one of which seemed to spit out a black-haired girl their age even as they watched. Riku made several small movements in response. First, he gave a small chuckle and took a tiny step forward, only to falter and pull Ally slightly closer to him, using her grip on his hand against her. She blinked dully and Kairi sniggered at her, looking back over to the tents as Sora walked out after the girl and dodged a bout of flame as she rose from the ground.

Kairi's eyes narrowed significantly as she realised that Riku wasn't the only guy lacking a shirt. Ally glanced between Kairi and Sora for several moments, even as a brunette girl walked out of the now burning tent after Sora, seeming to make him stop in his tracks. Kairi's gaze narrowed further (if that were possible).

Ally sniggered.

* * *

I basically realised I'd hit 7000 words and figured that continuing wouldn't be my best of all ideas. Thankfully that means I have the start of my next chapter already. But that doesn't mean you can't send me what you want in it, 'cause I don't even have a page (go ahead, Zero!! XD). So, yeah, do it already.

I have no idea why, but coke is tasting weird to me all of a sudden… it's like… nnnnmmyeeeahhh……. I'm grumbling at the moment. And sniffing. And coughing occasionally… and eating white chocolate while I contemplate getting up to get some mountain dew. I've spent the last two days at home (and that's the longest I've had in a while because my track record was… like… five days at least, so mum makes me go) getting sick and brooding. And I'm an awesome brooder. So awesome I'm pretty much professional. XD

Now, I know someone is going to ask me what it was Ally said. And my reply to you, whoever you are, is:

**Don't ask me, I typed it randomly and inserted characters from the symbols menu. Ehhe. For purposes of my (failing) sanity, though, take it as some sentence of abrupt swearing or something of the type. Y'know? Just picture whatever you'd expect Ally to say.**

Booshah.

**Haruka Shinigami**_: XD Filler chapters annoy the hell out of me. It will forever remain so. Nope, Sora's destined to live... At least until the end of this fic, anyway... I shall contemplate this...  
_**MrMaster**_: have you seen Batman? Heath Ledger did awesomely. (Wow, that was... completely unrelated to Kingdom Hearts?) You must find out who this random stranger who reads BoT (in your mind, anyway :P) for me. He shall be subjected to torture. Because, yes, clearly it is possible. Improbable perhaps, but it happened, so clearly it's possible. Take my music for example- I'm set to record over the next couple of weeks, right? Well, me actually finishing and posting anything on myspace is entirely improbable. But it still could happen... (If only I wasn't such a lazy git! Snap!). It was quite the cliffhanger, now that I think about it. You gave me very much to think about. You know I make this up as I go, right? You just set me a whole bunch of different directions this story could go. For this I thank you. XD  
_**Scarpaw**:_ Did you really miss your plane, or were you just joking? XD Now that Mithos reference was entirely due to Zeromaru Chaos Mode (because he's awesome and he wrote that chapter segment for me XD). In all honesty, I have no idea who Mithos is. I attempted to read up on it. I failed dismally. That's just how I roll. XD And those bunnies shall learn to fear this metal stick. Oh yes, yes they shall... Hope you liked your cookie, I picked it out special for you. :)  
_**A-dizzle_:_**_ Well, now I feel like an idiot. But it's not my fault- you're the one who forgot to tell me of the penname change! You and eCZi both did the same thing. And both times I found myself laughing... at myself... wow. I really am an idiot sometimes... Lol, I can't draw for crap either. Zero has a tendency to be a prick, that's what makes him, as a character, unbelievably awesome. And your comment on Oathkeeper made me laugh as well, I got mixed replies on that one.  
_**KatieYu**_: For the fact that you are an awesome reviewer (all my reviewers are awesomers, I haven't had a flame yet... which is kinda weird...) I will let that pun slide. I happen to hate puns (with a passion) for most of the time. It has to do with an English sub I had two years ago. God she scared me. Still haven't done that history homework. I think the teacher forgot about it. We call him Mister Tonka Truck. Tonkin - Tonka Truck, geddit? XD I'm weird.  
_**Krystal Lily Potter**:_ well, you know that argument about monkeys and squirrels we've been having? I just looked at your review (which I'm replying to so, hey, big surprise! :P). AND I QUOTE: _**"you better update soon or I'll send Ninja Monkeys from Mars after you!"** _See? I was RIGHT! MUAHAHAHAHA! (Being right is a big deal for me, it doesn't happen a lot -.-). Oathkeeper is dead, yes... I don't know why, it kind of just randomly came to mind. Mnyeah... Forgot to say in my review of your latest chapter (and this really isn't important at all, let alone relevant), I kinda read the chapter title and immediately thought of the band Madina Lake. Ehhe. "...I remember when you told me I should live like I'm dying, and not to close my eyes when everything burns.' See? LYRICS! And yeah, it's kinda sad that I can quote it off the top of my head.  
_**TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran**_: YOU'RE BACK! Yay! Havek may be coming soon. He might not. He might be mentioned and turn up in a sequel. ...Should I write a sequel? All of these ideas now... Booshah! Tell me how you think it should go!  
_**ChaosofShadowz_:_**_ Lol, it was Final Fantasy X, and my sister found out, and she erased my game in return. I spent SO long playing blitzball on that for the Reels Overdrives and she ERASED it! I felt like screaming for several moments there. iPods suck with the charging. I still have my old shuffle in my room somewhere. I'd imagine it's under my bed... just like everything else. I USE LONG WORDS TOO! 'RAI! XD ...'course, I slur my speech as well, and I'm always half asleep so everyone thinks I'm either drunk, or stoned. I just laugh it off. Technically, chasers are emotionless killing machines. So there wouldn't really be a jock/nerd vocation. But I could make another exception. Maybe you'd like to be a merc-like character like Zero? Depends on my frame of mind at the time.We'll see.  
_**Zeromaru Chaos Mode**_: Yes, it was a piece of paper against 'bitey shield dog-men things', lol. Co-authers are a-okay with me! GO FOR YOUR LIFE! XDDD Means I have to do less. And yeah, I'm still a lazy git. XD Rofl. Well, now you mention it, Destiny Islands should probably die soon. I'll sleep on it and decide tomorrow. Idk, I reckon Wolfsbane was a pretty good replacement. Slightly-girly-but-still-awesome-morally-valued-Oathkeeper Keyblade, versus awesome-hardkorr-uber-coolio-multi-talented-duplicative-with-drive-form-Wolfsbane Keyblade. I'm thinkin' Wolfsbane wins. Good point- maybe we should take away main character's luck. Let's see... Ally and Zero are so gonna take out them chaser bastards. And Sora vs. Zero... I'll think it over. But remember, he's just doing a cameo. But he might reappear every once in a while. Zero wouldn't be caught dead in a place like Arranathia, though, and you'd better remember that. XD  
_**Jupiter-Lightning**_: thou shalt not mourn the Oathkeeper (rule #23 on Ally's list of 'Rules Being Made Up As We Go' XD). I'm giving you permission to kick me, yes. I give everyone that right. I'm a very annoying person. Therein lies the reason that everyone earns that right... Not that you can kick me from wherever you are... BUT YOU STILL HAVE PERMISSION!! Uh, I only just got to the second part of the boiling rock episodes (which were rather kick-ass, by the way, because Tylee kicked Azula's ass and Mei went all awesomo and protective of Zuko). MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ...okay, random evil laugh...?_

FILL MY INBOX BY ANSWERING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS!! If I ever actually do get my music up on myspace, how many of you would like to listen to it (lol, I feel so hobo for asking)? Wow, that was unrelated... but, what should happen next chapter? Who do you think is going to die soon? Where should I go next? And why do I sound like such a blithering idiot!?

I will now remind you to leave me reviews.

Carnivic Loserville The Seventeenth reminds you to review also.


	32. Sundown

Disclaimer: I own the constant state of confusion I live in and an intense dislike of movies that spend their entire two hours (or whatever) detailing the last days of these people drifting at sea. Wtf? Why waste time watching that?

I'll tell you why- about a hundred channels, and nothing on TV.

…modern day life is actually quite sad…

Credit shall, once again, be given to **Zeromaru Chaos Mode**, because he pretty much co-wrote the chapter. Then end of it was all him, really. I just tweaked it a bit here and there… again. XD

MrMaster and A-Dizzle both had my sister giving me the usual 'wtf' look as I randomly burst out laughing at their persistence of Zero's death. I'm sorry guys, but I'm pretty sure it's not. Gonna. happen…

Oh. Just a reminder, as well (and expect this one for a while, because I get slightly obsessive sometimes – not over you Miles! Only the neff and the cake XD Inside jokes. Gotta love them.)- concubinish-neff ftw!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Two… Pssssh… Should've Been Off-World By Now… -.-**

"What?"

"Alarmed, are we, Tylee?" he asked sarcastically, barely moving his mouth to say it. "I would be. You seem to continue to underestimate me, you know?"

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly, slightly suspicious as she caught sight of the three figures at the edge of the clearing and Azula prepared another hand of flame, reasonably ignorant of onlookers.

"This might hurt," he commented in reply, eyeing Azula with a small smile. Tylee was slightly alerted by the joking tone in his breathed words, but too late- Azula let loose her ball of flames, only to have Sora duck at the last possible moment, letting it careen into Tylee's form behind him. She jumped away with a loud yelp, swatting the flames from her clothing and the end of her braid rather hurriedly. He grinned at her as she shot him a glare, ignoring the slight smouldering of her pink clothing. "Nerve centres are amazingly annoying and occasionally painful things," he told her, utilizing Saor's infamous matter-of-fact sarcasm tone. "Had that one removed a year ago after I got in a scuffle with a bug… thing… Much better off without it, though."

"Well, you _could _have told me that!" she retorted exasperatedly, waving her hands around as he got to his feet. "It would've made this _so_ much easier!" Sora chuckled.

"I _like_ making things difficult," he chuckled, shrugging it off quickly as Azula approached him, hands ablaze. She reached out quickly for him, intending, it seemed, to hit him, only to have someone else's fist in her gut. Sora winced at the thought of it, watching the redhead in front of him as she slapped Azula across the face and punched her in the jaw, exactly the same place as Sora had earlier (whether she knew that or not, he wasn't exactly sure). Azula staggered backwards from the force of it.

"Don't. Touch. My. Boyfriend."

"_Very_ possessive," Sora commented dully, flinching slightly as blazing azure eyes rounded on him. He smiled slightly. "Once again, love, you have put your keen and penetrating mind to the task and have come to the wrong conclusion." He smiled coyly as he said it, taking the few steps between them and putting his arms around her quickly.

"Are you _mocking _me?"

"Nope. I'm being casually affectionate. Is that a problem?" he asked, burying his head into her shoulder slightly as he did so and ignoring the fact that she blushed rather pointedly, almost losing her slight anger for a moment.

"…No…" she replied eventually. "But screw morality- when we get back from this, I am _so _going to kick your ass." He hummed contentedly and kissed her lightly on the cheeking, swaying slightly with her in his arms.

"And surprisingly, I'm okay with that," he replied, chuckling slightly. He loosened his grip on her after another moment, pointing her in the direction of a rising Azula. "Now, go and show her what you're made of, _lover_," he told her quietly, half purring his last word. "…And if she hurts you I'll break her nose."

"Very reassuring."

"It is, isn't it?" He sighed as he felt Tylee jab him in the back again, a different nerve centre this time. Rolling his eyes, he pushed Kairi a step away from him and caught a small knife that seemed to appear out of nowhere, batting Tylee's hand away as she tried again. "You'll have a hard time finding a nerve centre that works, you know," he told her simply, half contemplating even as he plucked another knife out of the air and turned instead to face the third fire nation girl who emerged from one of the three remaining tents.

"Wolf boy."

"Mei."

"He-hey! I wanna be included in the awesomely disjointed and unemotive name-stating…" Ally complained, walking up to meet Sora, Riku's hand still grasped tightly in her own to stop him from wondering off, as Sora stared down the reserved, black haired girl and her hand of knives. "I mean, it's a generic brand from my world that we called _emo_. And emo was just. So. _Cool_…" Sora glanced at her dully, losing some of his fierceness and blankness as he gave her a bemused stare and laughed at her noiselessly. "I always had a thing for emo boys."

"You're amazingly embarrassing to be around, Ally-wa," he stated simply, still laughing quietly through his words, even as Tylee made to give him another jab, succeeding only in earning a disconcerted glare from him. "Yeah… that one? Doesn't work either."

"Sora-la!" Ally started loudly, something coming to mind before she smacked him over the back of the head, leaving him with a dazed and confused expression (whether at the 'la' or the cheap shot to the back of his head, though, he wasn't sure). "You dufus. You actually chucked an emo yesterday, going of on your own. Well, you're a fish. And y'know what? Your girlfriend is going to kick your ass. And I'm going to laugh. Very, very hard."

"The sad thing is, Ally-wa," Sora replied dully, raising a hand at an irritated looking Tylee as she moved to try another nerve centre and halting her in her tracks. "That jumbled mess of insanity you just blurted out made perfect sense to me." She blinked.

"And now I am truly worried."

"Me too," Riku growled slightly, looking slightly lost as he stared at nothing in particular. Sora gave a slight chuckle as Tylee made a small noise behind him, guessing what was coming before she actually said a thing.

"Ooh, he's _cute_…" she commented loudly, making Sora chuckle as Ally's violet eyes narrowed significantly at the brunette acrobat. The chaser pulled Riku a little closer to her, lifting her free hand to point at the silver-haired boy with a very possessive glare in Tylee's direction, totally ignoring the burst of blue flame behind Sora.

"Mine," she said simply, her tone slightly venomous. "Don't touch." Tylee pouted while Sora stared at the whole scene for several moments before roaring with laughter. He pointed at Tylee.

"Owned," he stated through his laughter, then turning to point at Ally and a slightly confused (not to mention pleased) looking Riku. "And you two? Whipped," he told them, still chuckling out his laughter. "Totally. Whipped." Ally gave him a slight glare while Riku just stared at him, still dazed himself.

"I don't get it!" Tylee exclaimed exasperatedly. "Why are all the good looking guys always taken?!"

"Bad luck?" Sora suggested vaguely. "Besides, it's the 'good looking' ones that have all the problems. I mean, come _on_, you could scour the universe and I guarantee you would _not _find an _ugly_, murderous prince of darkness."

"Oh, I don't know," Ally told him loudly. "Sam had acne when he was eleven-through-seventeen. It wasn't pretty."

"That's my uncle, right?"

"Yep."

"When'd you last see him?"

"Twenty-two years tomorrow. I believe I was twenty-nine at the time…" she trailed off uncertainly for a few moments, eyes clouding over before her brow furrowed noticeably in pure anger. "That _fucking _dwarf!! Oh, that bastard's going to get it when we get there…. I'll teach him to attack people with friggin' Nintendo warhammers!" Sora blinked. Then he made a face, deciding that he probably didn't really want to find out what she was talking about if it made her swear so violently. Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from thinking it over.

_Bludgeoned to death by a very _**stupid**_ man with a very _**powerful**_ weapon twenty-two years ago._

"That sounds familiar."

"It's my birthday tomorrow, I really don't care."

"Birthday presents?"

"No."

"Birthday breakfast?"

"No."

"Birthday song?"

"_Hell _no!"

"Birthday cake?"

"…yes."

Sora snorted. "I should have expected that, shouldn't I?" Ally grinned.

"Can't pass up cake!"

"Fair enough…" Sora chuckled in reply, turning again to Mei and Tylee, who were speaking in hushed tones several metres away. In all honesty, Tylee was speaking in hushed tones, and Mei was really just ignoring her, but that wasn't the point. "Now, you," Sora started, pointing at Tylee and watching as she cut off abruptly to turn her attention back to him. "I think you pissed Ally off a second ago, or _something_, so have fun finding _her _nerve centres for a change. And you," he added, pointing this time to Mei, "you have fun messing around with Riku, now. I refuse to hit another girl today."

"Sora?" Ally growled after a moment, glaring at him acutely. "You've gathered the need for a keyblade, right?"

"Boo-shah, Ally-wa!" he said. "I may be stupid sometimes, but this is not one of them! I'll do my best while I beat the living _crap _out of those funny smelling men in that third tent over there." Even as he pointed, a dozen or so men walked out of the third large tent left standing, dressed in green earthbending clothes and with their stupid flat hats covering their faces.

"Oh, you couldn't take out the Dai Li single handed!" Azula seemed to shout at him, distracted for a moment solid enough to earn another fist in the face from Kairi. Sora grunted.

"I'd shut up now if I were you, Azzy," he mocked simply. "Kairi can get very protective sometimes…" He paused for a moment. "…And I really don't think she liked you much to begin with…" He shrugged then, walking off to meet the Dai Li while his hand twitched uncomfortably, unable to grasp a familiar hilt.

ФФФФФ

It was when Azula faceplanted for perhaps the thirtieth time that she finally gave up…

Either that, or Kairi really had pummelled her half to death.

She groaned loudly and Kairi closed her eyes in frustration, sighing boredly. "You just don't give up, do you?"

"Never!" came the harsh, venomous reply. Kairi merely sighed again and shook her head disappointedly.

"Problem there is," she started, revisiting Ally's words of sounding so much like Sora. "Persistence can only go so far." And with that she slammed a small brick of water into the back of Azula's head, knocking her unconscious and using barely a flick of her wrist to do so.

She watched curiously as Tylee was sat down beside the unconscious Azula, a very nonchalant expression evident on her face despite the gag and the mysterious ropes that Ally seemed to have pulled out of nowhere. Ally, herself, turned away almost immediately to watch Riku as he avoided another knife thrown by a Mei who was clearly getting tired. Even as Kairi noted that, the fire nation girl dropped to her knees, watching in exhaustedly concealed fascination as Riku changed into a wolf where he stood before her.

"So there's… two of you," she stated softly, breathing it out between panting. "Very well."

There was a loud cry of agony out in the woods to their left, making all three victors glance around quickly to confirm that Sora was, in fact, no longer in the clearing. Riku grunted simply, while Ally muttered something under her breath, looking grudgingly more worried than she'd like to have been. Kairi merely sighed, coming to the conclusion that the whole experience was going to be followed by one hell of a talk over. Then all three of them started for the direction of the scream, crucially aware of the thin slither of red that was all that was left of the sun on the horizon, casting them all into it's eerie blood-red glow.

ФФФФФ

Sora could feel their blood on his fingertips. It was repulsive while it was enthralling, he realised, making his senses tingle while his heart was twisting with revulsion. Even as the thoughts crossed his mind, merely a flash, he crouched slowly in front of the last Dai Li agent and flexed his bloodied claws, eyes the man with fierce yellow eyes. The man glanced at the small pile in the corner of their little battle scene, the bodies piled on each other and soaked through with the same crimson liquid staining the boy in front of him. The shadows cast from the trees did little to cover the gashes and tears in the odd dozen mens' flesh, or the mangled and distorted forms of their lifeless bodies- how the bones jutted out in odd angles beneath the skin and heads, arms, and legs alike were left at unnatural angles.

Sora merely growled, the noise emitting from deep in the back of his throat, and glared with his sharp yellow gaze at the green clad soldier with pure hatred.

"_Do you fear me?_" Sora thought, fury and hatred that wasn't his own coursing through him, unbridled and unrestrained. "_Do you fear what I've done? What you'll become?_"

The man could to no more than mumble incoherencies under his breath, eyeing Sora with terror. Before he could finish his unintelligible words, though, Sora appeared beside him and grasped his arm in both hands, snapping it as if it were no more than a small stick. The resounding crack was horrible.

The green clad man screamed, his voice cracking with terror, horror, grief, despair, and total, utter hopelessness. A second crack, followed by a second agonized scream, signified Sora's hard kick to the man's knee and the breakage that followed. Another crack, this time his wrist, followed by Sora's angry growling and the odd squelching sound that was followed by another scream, full off agony, and fear, and suffering, caused by Sora's claws in the flesh of the man's stomach. The scream didn't end for several moments, continuing to grow higher and louder as Sora's pressure increased and the man's life came closer to it's ending.

Blood ran down Sora's fingertips, his incessant growling becoming louder as if to match the screams of the dying man. The warm liquid spread from his hand, trailing down his arm and dripping to the ground. With one small choking sound, just a small word coughed out with blood, the man's screams died out, cutting into nothing while his eyes glazed over, any spark that was in them disappearing entirely while his life was extinguished in Sora's hands.

Then he was dropped to the ground at Sora's feet, a slightly stunned Sora staring at his lifeless body with dark, wide eyes. Panic was registering, disgust and fear setting in as he stared at the body at his feet, the pile of the others to the side barely registering in his mind or his peripheral vision as the tiny word repeated in Sora's mind.

The word was truth. This wasn't the same as killing a chaser or a heartless, nor a nobody. This was a human being- a living, breathing creature, dead at his feet.

"_Murderer."_

He'd lost the ability to move, totally shocked at what he'd done. He realised he was in control of himself again, his darkness receding at his repulsion and his distress. But he still couldn't move, couldn't bring himself to look away.

"Sora."

It wasn't a question, just a small acknowledgement of the fact that he was there. Such an even tone, though in the face of what he'd done, the voice could only belong to the chaser girl. He shouldn't have expected anything else. He still couldn't move, frozen.

"Sora, come away."

It wasn't a request, but it sure as hell wasn't an order. Either way, he still couldn't move, standing frozen in the one spot, until her arm was around him, pulling him away with her, back to where the others were. She didn't speak, didn't try to catch his eye, even as she dragged him along. She sat him down in the forest, ignoring Riku and Kairi completely as she knelt down to his level and tried to see past the fading yellow in his blank eyes with no more than a contemplative frown.

"Stay," she said simply, again not asking while she didn't demand him to do anything. He was still too shocked to move, of course, but he figured somewhere in his head that she wasn't just referring to his seating on the dirt ground. Moments later, she'd disappeared back the way he'd come, pointedly leaving Riku and Kairi behind. She returned with a dark look on her face, slipping her matchbook back into a pocket somewhere and strapping her small silver flask back to her belt distantly. She seemed slightly twitchy as she looked up to meet Riku's questioning stare, then looked up to avoid his gaze entirely, only to notice the abrupt lack of colour in the sky.

This didn't last, however, because she sniffed quickly before pointing at Sora. "Help him, Riku."

"What?"

"Do you _honestly _think he's going to walk on his own?" she asked quickly, her tone rather dull. "If anything, he seems to be in total shock."

"Why?"

"It's dark," Ally pointed out simply, not mentioning the slaughter several metres behind her. Riku rolled his eyes, barely exchanging a glance with Kairi before he grabbed one of Sora's arms, dragging the boy to his feet, and slung it over his shoulder, not dragging him so much as leading his weakened steps. Short silver hair was tousled slightly in the slight draft that hit them all from in front, and he sighed as Ally led the way, clearly rather attuned with where they were.

"Ally?"

"Hmm?

"What's it being dark got to do with Sora being in shock?" Riku asked tonelessly, curious but unlikely to show it, especially with his werewolf drive still adjusting.

"I did tell you didn't I?" Ally asked him, shooting him a puzzled glance, something entirely different hiding behind her eyes as she seemed to move a little faster, less hesitant than he would've liked.

"Tell me what?"

"Keyblades have preference as much as we do, Mister Riku," she explained slowly. He quirked an eyebrow.

"What do you-"

"That's why only Mister Sora and his various other parts can use his keychains," she explained, quicker this time, seemingly in a hurry. Kairi barely appeared to be listening, even as she eyed Sora's virtually vacant form with worry. "They're _his_. They only have faith in _him_…" she trailed off for a moment. "They have minds of their own, Riku, and free wills. They can make their own choices, and choose their own ways- and the Oathkeeper, to put it rather simply, chose to lose its existence in order to keep Sora's. Whether because it would have regardless or because of the bond it was formed of, though, is completely unknown to me."

"And?"

"The sun's set, Riku," she pointed out again, audibly stiff. Riku raised an eyebrow again, noting both her rigid tone and the fact that she'd said his name twice now without a prefix. "One day, he had, to regain the trust of his keyblades. One day. Only one." She paused, taking a breath and glancing back to them, this time more at Sora than Riku. "Because when the Oathkeeper broke instead of him, his other keyblades lost their faith."

"That doesn't make sense," Riku stated softly. "Oathkeeper chose that path, right? Would that not then imply that it chose that Sora was decidedly worth saving?"

"What, because he's a good master?" Ally asked in reply, scoffing slightly. "As I said, they have minds of their own. One keyblade's choice isn't specifically reflected by another's. As far as we know, they may actually think that he's a bad master because he allowed the Oathkeeper to perish."

"But he didn't know it _would_."

"But they don't _care_," Ally retorted, pulling an annoyed face. "Bloody things are much more trouble than they're worth, if you ask me. Much happier with my staff."

Riku muttered something under his breath to that, which sounded remarkably like 'yeah. Only because you're allowed to _hit _people with it…' Surprisingly, she didn't take the bait, only doubled her pace to get back to their on world camp. This alerted Riku further, making him wonder what it was she wasn't telling him.

Probably just some type of impending doom.

"Now hold on up, Ally," he demanded as they finally broke from the trees, back into the Fire Nation camp, stopping pointedly and making her turn to look at him, something clearly foreign to her playing in her eyes. It was almost as though she was panicking- and pleading with him not to bring it up- not yet, and not here. He frowned. "What is it you won't tell me?"

The wind changed direction, bringing the strong smell of smoke and something completely unappetizing _cooking_. He frowned again.

"What did you-"

"Please, Riku, not now?" she asked, again subconsciously forgetting her prefixes. Riku's eyes narrowed before he glanced at Kairi, noting that she really didn't appear to care what they were talking about. "Not now…" Ally repeated, reasonably quieter and more pleading, not wanting to face up to the situation herself. Riku stared for a moment, pursed his lips, and then nodded slightly in acceptance.

"Okay."

ФФФФФ

Somewhere along the way, Sora had dropped to his knees, unable to stand on two legs anymore regardless of Riku's help. He'd activated a drive form without a word and then was padding along beside them uncomfortably, dark brown fur no longer gleaming. Ally had eyed him for several moments, figuring that it was probably just a reason for him not to talk to anyone.

They'd arrived back at the camp, finding the four on-worlders awaiting their arrival around the campfire, all looking rather put-out. They'd seen the four off-worlders enter (minus Toph, who felt rather than saw) and brightened up reasonably, despite being slightly put off about the fact that Sora clearly didn't want to talk to anyone. With a small sigh, Kairi followed him to a place by the fire and sat beside him, pulling his furry head into her lap when he didn't move in response.

Ally sighed and moved to sit down away from the rest, followed by Riku, and they discussed the day's events in hushed tones at the corner of the clearing, waiting until morning when they would move on to the next world.

ФФФФФ

"Toph…"

"What the-"

"**Don't speak. Come. Follow the vibrations. There is something that must be done."**

The blind girl blinked, shrugging. She got up and stretched, following what her "sight" told her. Noticing her about to leave Ally called loudly from her place by the fire.

"Oi, where you going?"

The black haired girl turned around and smirked in the direction that she heard the voice from.

"Bathroom. What, you wanna watch or something?"

"Ew. No thanks."

The blind Earthbender just laughed to herself and stepped through the bushes, following the ripples of the earth. Her bare feet snapped twigs, crinkled leaves and slid through soft grass as she approached a clearing.

"Good, you came."

"The _other_ Twinkle toes. What do _you _want?"

"I'm bored. Sora's been found, and I've got nothing to do. I've heard of your skills, and I wanna see if they're as good as people say."

"What, you wanna fight me?!"

"Not fight… a… spar… A test of strengths."

The girl smirked. "Fine. But when I wipe the floor with you don't complain."

The brown skinned warrior gave a hearty chuckle. "Kid, I haven't had much reason to laugh before I ran into Ally here… and even then it was mostly fake. You just made it genuine."

Toph frowned…unsure as to whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. She simply responded by slamming her right foot into the ground and entering her personal stance.

Zero laughed again. "Dude, all we need now is for you to laugh like an evil genius or something. That stance has 'Patented Evil Cackle' written all over it!"

Toph responded by thrusting a palm out, a large slab of stone appearing and attempting to smash Zero. He twisted out of the way, only to have to pull his head back to avoid a pillar of earth. _Damn… she's pretty fast… but she's blind? How the hell…_

Stepping to the left, he was forced to jump as a literal claw of earth reached out from underneath him in attempts to grab him. _Well crap, she's like bleedin' Gaara!_

Stomping the ground, Toph summoned another three pillars around where the ripples were coming from. Zero countered by taking to the air, bounding off the pillars and heading for her. Toph raised a slab of earth, but it completely missed Zero, since he'd slowed his movements.

_Wait a minute… she can't see… hmm…_

Gently touching the ground he immediately jumped straight up, watching as a pillar of stone rocketed into the air from beneath him. He threw his weight forward, the obelisk shooting past him, and placed both hands on it to spring off. Closing his eyes, he relaxed his body, using his other senses to find out how it was this blind girl could fight so well.

The pillar suddenly grew spikes. Pushing off just as one was about to impale his right hand, he waved his left around in the air. Toph jumped backwards as she felt a slight rumble in the earth, evading the massive spike that ruptured from the ground.

_Whoa. That was close! I almost didn't feel that one!_

She felt another vibration, but was confused as there was more than one. Instinctively she stomped the ground, raising both hands over her head, creating a half-dome of rock to surround and protect her. As she did so, the massive spike shattered, launching smaller projectiles in her direction. They were nullified by her defence.

_I think I see now… just one more test…_

Finally landing, he watched as half the barrier suddenly shot from where she was, screaming through the air. _Very nice! She's got amazing reactions! _Flipping over it, he slammed both palms into the ground. Toph was about to launch the other side, when suddenly her senses went haywire, her minds eye seeing five different ripples at once, all surrounding her. Unseen to her, five massive thorned vines had ripped out of the ground and were closing in upon her.

_SHIT!_

Though a tomboy, the girl rarely ever cursed, even in her own mind. This situation completely called for it. Just narrowly evading the sudden attack by taking a leap of faith and jumping through a small gap in the vines, she was still scratched by the thorns. Luckily for her, Toph's small frame kept the wounds from being more than minor irritants.

"Enough."

Toph was ready to continue but she stopped, panting. _Man…he's __**good.**_

"Very good. Adaptation, improvisation… despite your blindness you have a very accurate method of "seeing". I'm impressed- and I don't say that often."

"Thanks… I _think_."

"However… your blindness is a crippling weakness. I believe it's safe to assume that your skills require your opponents to be touching either solid ground, or touching something connected to the ground, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Which means that those who can attack from the air, or those who are very good at concealing their movements can easily break past your guard."

"Tch, not exactly. I _can _still hear where they are."

"This is true…I've noticed your other senses have sharpened. Again, I am impressed. Every time I moved you knew where I was going to be, until I was in the air. I believe Airbenders like your friend the Avatar; pose a great threat to you, correct?"

"Earthbenders ARE a bit disadvantaged against Airbenders anyway."

"True, but you are even more so because they can manipulate the winds to conceal even their sounds. A voice cannot travel if there is no air to carry it. And if they were to hover, or air-walk, you would have no way of fighting them."

She growled. She had already admitted it to herself; she didn't need this guy throwing it in her face.

"Like it matters! I still had you!"

"True…however I was holding back. Now…if you don't mind, I'd like to see how you do against nearly my full skill." _I have an idea… I'm not much of a medic… and I'm willing to bet that this blindness was from birth… but… she is truly disadvantaged here. If an outside force comes and can move faster than she can sense… it is certain she will die…_

_I cannot allow that. As I did for Ally once, I shall do for her. She doesn't have Ally's reincarnation abilities…and this world needs her. I promised not to meddle in the affairs of worlds unless needed… and I hold to it! This world needs her more than any of them know. The Avatar may have learned how to bend her element…but she is the Master…_

_To come so far… only to be destined to inevitably fail because of something outside her control…_

_I can change that. This world has been touched by outsiders… others will come, that is certain. I must show this girl her flaws… and teach her to combat them…_

_The biggest problem is that she cannot see…at all. As long as she is touching the ground she can tell where someone is…but those who can move faster than she can track, those that do not need the ground to fight…she will lose…_

_I can't fix her eyes completely…but at the very least I can give her something no other than myself… and maybe Ally, I'm not sure if she got that one from me… something nobody but us has._

_I will give her the power to see Life._

Toph got impatient. "HEY! Are we gonna fight or are you gonna stand around doing nothing all day?!"

Zero snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh… right. My apologies." She couldn't see it, but at that moment his body began giving off a fierce silver light.

_What… the heck is that?!_

She couldn't see it, but she sure _felt_ it. An amazing pressure just washing over her, the ripples through the ground raging, speaking of unimaginable power.

"I trust you are ready?"

The ground… the trees… and the girl in front of him…

All became covered in jagged lines.

Gathering her pride and radiating it against her surprise and uncertainty, Toph smirked. "Bring it on! I can take anything you dish out!"

Unseen, Zero gave a small smile. Toph was lucky she was blind… for the smile on his face wasn't one of joy… but the most disturbing sight anyone could witness.

He vanished.

Toph blinked, confused as to what just happened. _Weird… first the ground is practically screaming… now nothing?_

Suddenly, she felt a distortion of air as her senses told her where Zero was.

_WHAT?!_

He was practically on top of her; left hand touching her chest, two fingers extended and giving off a faint glow.

"_**Oh really…?"**_

**THOOM!**

Just as her senses told her Zero was right in front of her, she heard his voice right next to her ear… before she felt an unimaginable amount of force slam into her chest. The petite Earthbender's body went flying, crashing through no less than three trees and slamming into the ground at the campsite, causing everyone to jump.

"Toph?!"

The girl's body skidded to a halt as she groaned, holding her chest. _I… I think he cracked a rib!_

Suddenly a distortion of air appeared, and with it, Zero materialized. Ally was the first to react. "Zero what the fu-

"SILENCE!"

The look he shot her literally stopped her vocal chords. _Damn! Stupid… killing intent! Dammit I KNOW I'm not afraid of him but my body won't listen! Who the __**fuck **__gave __**him **__ninja powers!? _Unable to speak due to her natural human instincts shutting down all higher thought, she settled for a quiet and deathly glare.

"Don't tell me a little tap like that was enough to put you down."

_TAP?! I'll give YOU a tap you lousy piece of-_

"Toph! Are you ok?!" Aang was about to run to her aid when she shouted at him to stop.

"NO! This… is my fight!"

She got to her feet. "Good… I was afraid you were too weak to continue."

"Weak?! I'll show you weak!" She stomped the ground and prepared her attack…when he vanished from her senses again. _Dammit NOW where'd he go?!_

Sora watched the event with dull, pale blue eyes, not bothering to move an inch further than he had to, and clearly not interested enough to intervene. Meanwhile, Kairi sat beside him, letting out the small 'whoa' that was on everyone else's mind.

A pillar of dust. Toph felt the vibration and launched a crushing wave of earth, but he was already long gone.

Another pillar. Toph whirled around and thrust her palm out, a wall of stone rocketing from the ground…and hitting nothing.

_Wh-what? No! I-Where IS he?!_

All Toph could 'see'…was a series of ripples appearing all around her. Everyone else saw pillars of dust shooting from the ground as it cracked beneath Zero's feet. A black flickering form appearing every other second, in a completely different location. Behind her, in front, to her left, on a tree all the way across the campsite, on top of the remains of a campfire, next to Kairi, just behind Ally, the branches above Sokka… he was everywhere… and yet nowhere at the same time.

"D-dammit stop jumping around and fight!"

**CRACK**

Zero suddenly appeared in front of Toph, his left heel jammed into her chest, breaking the cracked rib with a loud snapping noise everyone could hear. Toph's body was knocked into the air, suspended by his foot… when everyone saw him vanish. Before she could even begin to drop, the tree next to her splintered as Zero kicked off it, slamming an energy charged palm into her left shoulder, flipping her backward. The ground behind her shattered as he launched from the earth, bringing his left arm into the back of her neck, flipping her in the other direction. Another tree shattered, and he brought his fist into her left leg, spinning her slightly. The air before her seemed to ripple as he bounced off a wall of solid dust and slammed an open palm into her left cheek… and it was then that he put his plan into motion.

Channelling as much restorative energy as he could, he impacted the side of her face, the energy travelling from the palm of her hand into her cheek and radiating into her body. Neurons flared to life where they hadn't before, as the part of her brain that was shut down, causing her blindness, was jumpstarted. The energy tweaked it however, changing what her retinas would perceive.

As he flung one last fist into her body, twisting her around, Toph slowly opened her eyes. Her pupils glowed golden for a moment…and her mind was slowly being flooded with bright colours. _Wh-what?_

Zero materialized above the girl, slamming his palm into her face straight on, and grabbing her head with it. Ally immediately gasped, growled and began gathering energy all within the span of a second. Sparks of flame began gathering in her palms as Zero threw his weight into the girl, slamming her head first into the ground and bouncing her back up.

The flame turned black, condensing into a sphere.

Zero appeared above Toph, arms crossed and held to his shoulders…as if he were grasping something.

Aang sensed what was coming, his own mind conjuring a heavy wind around his right hand. Particles of moisture began gathering in Katara's palms, as the Waterbender prepared her own attack upon the warrior assaulting her friend.

Riku loosed a cough. He started to gasp but the air was heavy with moisture so his throat caught too much of it. _DARKNESS!_

Dark energy began gathering around Zero's fists. Wind and dust began swirling around him. Katara, Aang and Ally all launched their attacks…but they just got absorbed into the vortex of dark energy.

Ally glared at the two fighting people for a moment before shouting at the top of her lungs, clearly a lot more than just a little pissed off.

"You have _got _to be kidding me!? If you kill her, Zero, I swear to god, I will _skin you alive_!"

Toph's eyes opened slowly… a glowing silver light shining in her mind. _What… is… oh… CRAP!_

She saw a figure made of silver light with its arms crossed above her as a massive wall of black, blue, red and green swirled around at its shoulders. She didn't understand what was happening…but she knew enough to realize that whatever was going on, unless she did something, she was in a world of hurt.

Time seemed to slow as her power over earth radiated from her body, the command echoing into the ground beneath her. Two giant pillars of rock shot from the ground as the energy finished gathering, and two glowing sheaths appeared on Zero's back. He brought his arms down, swinging the blades that had materialized, just as the two stone walls crashed into one another just in between the two. The two glowing swords slammed into the stone, kicking up a massive shockwave as blade and rock met, struggling…

But it was to no avail… Zero was a far stronger existence than Toph was… and even if he wasn't, she was horribly weakened by his assault. The blades cut through… wasting most of the gathered energy in the process. The attack completed with a large glowing red X appearing in the air as he cut through existence itself.

Toph was rocketed to the ground, crashing hard into the dirt and kicking up a heavy cloud of dust. Ally gasped eyes wide in horror. She's seen that move before. Hell, she was on the receiving end of it at one point. She knew what would come from it… but she was surprised to hear a soft feminine voice groan from inside the dust cloud.

"Wind! Now!"

Aang didn't need to be told twice. He grasped hold of the currents around them and swept away the dust. Lying in a very small crater was Toph…groaning.

"She's…in one piece…"

Lifting her head from the ground, Aang asked her. "Why do you sound surprised?"

She dropped to her knees in relief. "That attack…" She shook her head, clearing it. "It…completely obliterates whatever gets hit by it…if it's not completely erased from the energy, its sliced into ribbons from the swords."

Toph groaned again, eyes opening.

"Good."

Everyone whirled around and saw Zero behind them. Holding two swords. Two _wooden _swords.

_That's why…_

"BASTARD! WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"

"Language Ashley."

**CRACK**

A tree splintered as Ally twitched. Zero simply smirked. "Remember who's winning kitling."

"Only by one point _teme._"

"Still awake kiddo?"

"Don't…call…agh!"

Zero vanished, appearing by her side, and spooking the living crap out of Sokka.

"Ahh…broken rib." The two wooden blades vanished in a wave of particles. He looked over at Sora. "Know any healing spells?"

The wolf merely stared at him, still not interested.

"…Emo jerk…" Zero murmured, to himself, glancing at Ally, who was standing stock-still in the same position, glaring daggers at him. He glanced at Katara as she spoke.

"I can do it."

"Well then trot your ass over here and help me."

Between the two, Toph's wounds were healed in a matter of minutes.

"Hey, kid. How many fingers am I holding up?" He flipped Toph the bird. Surprisingly she grabbed his hand out of the air and started squeezing.

"Ass…wait…WHAT?!" Her eyes shot open as she released Zero's hand in surprise, looking at her own hands. She saw a glowing golden light emerging in front of her in the shape of a hand. She looked down at herself and saw her body illuminated by golden yellow. "I…can…see?"

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Somewhat." They all turned to Zero. "I jumpstarted your eyes…you can't see actual shapes…but you can see energy. It just started, so you can't see much farther than the clearing we started our spar in…and…well you won't be able to see anything besides powerful energy sources for at least a year. Which means it's pretty much useless outside of a fight. And, since like I said, it just started, you can't use it for long…lest you burn your eyes out…"

"Well how do I stop it then!" She sounded panicked. Zero just chuckled. "Relax yourself. Mind and body. And then just close your eyes."

She tried to take deep calming breaths…closing her eyes her body seemed to shudder as the new ability turned itself off. Opening her eyes she found she couldn't see anything anymore.

"Good. After tonight, practice turning it on and off. You're best living like you used to, adhering to your other more developed senses…but…now if you fight someone who can attack from the skies, you won't be completely useless."

**SMACK**

"OW! Dammit woman what was that for?!"

"I TOLD you not to do it like that!"

"Oh come on! You know how bored I get!"

Ally glared. "You could have _killed _her!"

"Hey, I was pulling my punches!"

Riku broke in. "Wait…you can just…make blind people see?!"

"Ehh…not really. One of the reasons I haven't died yet is because I'm kinda immortal… I don't age any further. I could probably still be killed in a fight… but… I've spent years travelling the universe. Training. I figure if I'm stuck living, I might as well keep myself alive until it's my time y'know? But… I kinda ran into Clotho… the incarnation of one of the three sisters of Fate. We argued… and, actually dated for a while… _I swear that woman was a beast in the sack… _and she showed me how to **Weave**. What happens is I weave a thread of reality into a world, making something happen. The less 'natural' what I attempt is, the harder it is to weave, to the point where I can make something, and the world will immediately reject it. Ally learned something like that too, only she never really took the time to train it, so she can just make things into weapons."

"Keyblades actually."

"Keyblade's a weapon, just a really weird one."

She stuck her tongue out at him to which he responded by snapping his head forward trying to bite it. She leaned back out of the way… but imbalanced herself and smacked her head into Riku's.

"Ow! Riku your head's too hard!" She paused for a moment, glancing at him. "Pretty, yes- especially with your hair out of your eyes. But you really do have an unbe_liev_ably thick skull."

Rubbing his forehead he just glared at her. And gave a glare to Zero for good measure.

"Anyway, I kinda…made a mistake with it… Clotho got pissed, cursed me to eternal life, and kicked me into a Dark Corridor. I've still got the power though, but I can't use it too much without attracting her attention. She's cooled down enough to the point where she doesn't care if I use it once in a blue moon, more than once if it's a dire situation and it helps her own plans…but I can't use it on a given world any more than once per year."

"You never told me that."

"Well, it's more like once per _Universal _year. I can use it once every six planetary months after the initial usage, but only if a Universal year has passed in the process. If I try to do more without it being a dire situation, I risk Clotho catching it and… well… bad things happen."

"Dude… that's still a pretty sweet trick."

Riku just huffed.

"Anyway…"

Zero got up, bringing Toph with him. Everyone else rose as well.

"I've got to get going."

"What? Why? Aren't you going to teach me how to-

"What is there to teach? You already know how to turn it off; just do the opposite to turn it back on. You've got to train yourself with it."

He turned to Sora. "Sora… when you regain the favour of your Keyblades… well… I'll have something for you." Sora continued to stare, not uncomprehending, just uncaring. "Kairi, keep an eye on Sora." The redhead nodded and patted the wolf beside her gently on the head. "Riku, watch Kairi." Riku just nodded. "Sora… just remember… If you ever stop being emo, that is… **two halves of a whole. One has no need to exist without the other.**"

The first reaction anyone got from him came then, just a slight snort before Sora sank back into his daze. Zero turned to leave when Ally blurted out indignantly. "What about-mmmph!"

Everyone's mouth dropped as Zero seemed to flicker… and kissed her full on the lips. Completely surprised by the action, Ally could do nothing but reboot her brain.

Riku however glared, barely holding in the urge to crush him under a wall of earth… with spikes. Yes, spikes…

Zero pulled back after about a half minute, but not without her returning the kiss, even if only slightly. He flashed her a smile, quickly returned, and vanished into a dark corridor.

"**Take care of her Riku… I'm counting on you… to keep my dear Ally safe…"**

* * *

Rofl, that was around 19 pages, so I'll try to make this short… but you know me, I tend to ramble on…

_**ChaosOfShadowz**_: well hey! I started (and finished) reading the Twilight saga! Are you happy with me now? (assuming it was you who told me I had to, I honestly don't remember…) If it was you I thank you for the recommendation, because Twilight was… Totally. Kick. Ass. …The actor in the movie really doesn't do Edward justice, I'm sorry, I have to agree with hundreds of helpless fangirls all over the world. Now that I've said that, I feel abruptly ashamed of myself… I repeat the 'thank you for that', but this time, _with sarcasm_! XD Nope, I'm really not one to drool over a fictional character. Or a real guy, for that matter… BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT! Prepare for my penname on Twilight fics (maybe… I'm as of yet uncertain)… Oh, and your opinion on this- I'm considering a penname change (PeafusPolarFishBear, whaddya know?) so, should I? If I ever get around to recording, you will know. :) and no one's guessed who I'm killing yet. I'm still working out kinks in the FFX one, but I might post a oneshot to start with. Who knows?

_**Zeromaru Chaos Mode**_: Yes, well Ally's cool, so she's allowed to slap Zero :) kinda sorta kidding... You will forever be my saviour, y'know that? I will again remind you that, no, Zero will not pwn Edward. NEVERRR! (Seriously, dude, get rid of my fangirlness, it's making me have those cold shivers you get whenever something creepy's going down…) But, yes, he can kill Jacob Black for all he likes.

…and I still haven't had that cake.

_**Krystal Lily Potter**_: "SUICIDE…" XD, lol. Again, full permission to shoot me for that C&S oneshot, even if it did only hint. Not that I posted it or anything… I WILL NOT STAIN MY PENNAME! NEVERRR!! Nope, I'm going to print it off and give it to her… except… my printer kinda hates me at the moment… ehhh… Welp. Pretty sure I didn't want Kairi to get her ass kicked anymore. Now she goes hardkorr. XD

**_PyroWolf_**: Glad you like it. And I love getting new reviews. It actually made my day (I had several shouting matches with people at sport today - reffing? yeah, didn't go so well...). And, yeah, Ally's a good kid. XD Say, you wouldn't happen to have an obscene fixation with fire, would you?

**_TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran_**: well, sheesh! You leave me enough reviews there? XD! Awesomo. I shall consider your ideas... but whooping Zero's butt, much to your displeasure, does not come under my jurisdiction. That comes to Zeromaru's rights (it's his OC, I just borrowed him).

**_KatieYu_**: ...you're as persistent as the above mentioned, y'know. Like Sora said in the start of the chap- "I like making things difficult". It's all good. And I'm updating NOW, so you should be good. I have an Eragon chapter on my computer- been there a while now. I don't know if I'll ever actually get around to posting it though.

**_AkaMizu-chan_**: aww, patented evil cackles (as Zero put it) make me all warm and fuzzy inside. I wonder why...?

**_greatgirl122302_**: ehhe. You wouldn't happen to be a Riku fangirl, would you? XD jk. But I've had a couple people tell me they like Ally. I find it odd, 'cause I actually think she's rather obnoxious, she just tends to say funny things. Same diff to me, I suppose.

**_RikuLover211_**: Really? You did catch up? I think I actually got lost in the last few chapters- _and I wrote them!! _...state of constant confusion. Remember that... XD

_**Jupiter-Lightning**_: rofl. Oh, yes, you would get smacked. Guess it's Ally-talk for something obscene. Couldn't read the last one in one sitting? How long'd this one take? Hope you enjoyed thinking of Azula getting smacked around- I sure did! I kinda sorta don't like her... XD

**_MrMaster_**: Awww... Demyx is awesome, leave him alone. And again, I no own rights for Zero's death. XD With the way I said that, you'd think I'm failing english. Oh, Kairi's just a little bit thick sometimes. Rot in Antarctica... ahahahaha...

**_Scarpaw_**: thanks for clearing that up :) Glad you enjoyed that cookie. Here's another. -gives cookie- ...but the plane thing made me laugh!!

**_A-dizzle_**: well, pfft to you too! You'd probably recognise my horrible humour through made-up words and unfunny statements. Oh, it's winter here. Or it was. But I get sick in Summer as well. Always in time for my birthday, and christmas. Every. Single. Year...

HEY GUYS!! (and girls, if you want to get particular- I'm not sexist, I am one!) GUESS WHAT!! (and Krystal Lily Potter already knows this, because she said she'd write me a oneshot for it XD you all wish you were as awesome as her...).

**IT'S MY BIRTHDAY NEXT MONTH!!**

**27TH!**

**HOORAI!**

**...I own...**

**XD**


	33. Six Days

Disclaimer: I think I have… like… 28 songs now? But I still don't own Kingdom Hearts and my composing skills are kind of irrelevant…

You don't say…

THE CAKE IS A LIE!! I'm still so disappointed, Zero… : ( …but new guitar for my birthday soon so I'm happy… XDD!!

Promised Zero I'd post before my birthday (or try. 27th of September, it is, so I made it.). You all owe him so much. You really, _really _do. Because it has been stated that he's basically my co-author (well, some chapters he is!!). Without him, this would have been on hiatus by now. Really. It would.

To the people who offered to do things for my birthday- you are wonderful. Amazing. Awesome. Wonderfully, amazingly awesome. Beyond that, even. You guys totally ROCK!! (Habit. The 'awesome' line was better, 'ey? Well, y'all still pwn everyone else anyway, so yeah. Cookies to you. Carbonara fettuccini to Zero – inside joke, lol. And cake. And icecream. Some chocolate. Maybe even some funny hats thrown in there as well. I'll work on a Christmas present for you all. If I had more than one of you on myspace I'd probably send you some totally insane picture that I'd draw in history – and ask eCZi, she already has one XDD).

My sister's playing Disney music. Hercules right now. She's picking out her favourites from the 'Disney Love Songs' CD. Why can't she be a normal teenager and listen to deathcore in her room? LIKE ME! (well, no, I'm alternative metal, rock and acoustics, not deathcore, but that's not the point…). Nope, she's 17, listening to Disney songs on her laptop in the lounge room. That's where the TV is. I'm trying to write a chapter AND watch Bones over her freaking songs. It's not going so well…

Guh!

**Penname change next chapter!! **I'm thinking that whoever gives me the best suggestion finds it as my penname. Don't know why. But basically, if I'm on your alerts (or, even if I'm not), my next chapter will be posted to some idiot with a different name. That idiot is me. Remember that.

Oh, and for the record, where Ally accentuates the word, it's because she's in tune with my computer. Because my computer does not believe the word 'overdramatisising' exists… And maybe it doesn't…

Also, despite being born in '91 (I'm from the wonderful year of '93, totally kick-ass and all… XDD), Ally is 18 in this chapter. Why, you ask? Well, to put it simply—

BECAUSE I SAID SO!

Ahha!

* * *

**Chapter… whatever the hell comes after last chapter… XD**

"See ya when we see ya," Ally said simply, giving a two fingered salute to Aang, which he returned with a large grin. She glanced at Sora as he slumped past, brown fur coated in dried blood from the day before. She sighed as he slunk into the repaired gummi ship alone, leaving the rest of them to say their goodbyes. "And don't mind him. He'd normally be happier, making promises wherever he goes. He's just going wonky now."

"Backlash?" Aang asked dully, earning a small nod from Ally.

"Hope you don't have to kill Mister evil emperor-dude," she said distastefully. "I don't want you to have to feel that."

"Bound to happen eventually."

"..'S what he said," she murmured, sighing again. "And now look at him, bud. Don't want that happening again. Not to you, not to no one." She paused to sigh again, shooting a glance at a very pissed off looking Riku. "Oh. Crap. Not him too."

"Good luck, Ally," Aang chuckled quietly. "Hope Zero's kiss was worth it." She grinned.

"Oh, he's a very good kisser, so I'd think so," she replied simply. Chancing another look at Riku blankly. "Either way- it's Zero. Y'know, the guy with super, pain-and-or-destruction-inducing, ninja powers. Pretty sure even _I_ couldn't've stopped him."

"Unless you were furious."

"Unless I was furious," she agreed, waving her hand submissively. Riku, still clearly annoyed, was having a short conversation of farewell with Toph, something about the earthbender calming him down considerably well. Several more moments passed, goodbyes said over, and then Donald was calling them onto the ship, asserting that they had to get a move on.

ФФФФФ

"What the hell do you mean by you have 'no idea where he _went_?'" Ally asked loudly, reminding herself not to throw punches at the blasted duck. "It's a _ship_, for god's sake! Where the hell could he _be_!?"

"All I know is- he came on half an hour ago before we left atmosphere, and now he's gone," the duck stuttered in reply, backing up against the wall in reply to Ally's heated glare. If looks could kill, he would've been roasted already.

"Actually, he went into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and hasn't let up since then," Goofy shot in quickly, not even looking at them as he stared out the cockpit window to the stars. He had his legs crossed on the dashboard infront of him while he hyucked out a short laugh. "Says so on this screen thingy here."

"Really?" Ally asked, suddenly not so angry. Donald hesitated for a moment before suddenly harnessing her lost fury, running over and smacking Goofy on the head with his staff rather violently.

"Well, why didn't you say so, you big palooka!?"

"Ahhhh…." Ally paused, thinking over the statement. "Looks like he's dipping into his own REM's today."

"REM's?" Donald asked, looking over to her curiously while he attempted to pull Goofy's hat all the way over the dog's face. Kairi sighed from her place in the corner, leaning against the wall and watching slightly boredly.

"Rapid Escape Manoeuvres," she explained quietly, frowning. "Remind me why?" she asked Ally, more stating than asking. The black haired girl nodded simply, heading for the door. They walked through the corridors; Ally slightly ahead, leading the way. The chaser didn't speak until they were safely out of range of the bridge.

"You know I burned down half a forest back there?" she asked quietly.

"You _what_!?"

"Andre always said I could get a little out of control when I'm panicking," she replied dully. "For the first time ever, I'm going to admit that Elesario was right. Because Sora killed a couple of people back there, and he's not the only one who couldn't exactly deal with it at the time." She crossed her arms while Kairi fell into a momentary silence.

"How many?" she asked in a small voice.

"What?"

"How many?" Kairi asked again. "How many did he kill? What am I dealing with here? Damage control's a difficult thing, you know. I knew I was getting around to it regardless, but way to go with the withholding of information there, Ally…"

"Eek. Wrath of the angered girlfriend," Ally commented eventually, blinking once or twice in surprise. "Not actually what I was expecting…"

"…What. Do. You. Mean…?" Kairi asked, staring at her half curiously and half angrily. They had stopped in the hall, standing to face each other now, and Kairi came, for the first time, to the conclusion that Ally was actually an inch or two shorter than her.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, you and Sora have a habit of over-drama-tisizing things. Was a little funny the first time, maybe the second, even. Now it's just stupid. So I wasn't expecting you to be angry at me for not telling you. I was expecting you to be angry at him for killing eleven guys to begin with."

"Eleven guys?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't think. 'Guys' was the wrong word. Eleven _full-grown men_, I should have said."

"Ahha. _Funny_, Ally."

"Ahha. _Sarcasm_, Kairi," the chaser retorted slowly. "Now you're going to talk to your boyfriend, savvy?"

"What?" Kairi asked loudly, suddenly alert.

"Overdramatic."

"Monotonous."

"Screw you," Ally replied. "I don't _do _deep feeling chats. Neither does Riku. And you do. So off you go."

"But he's in the _showers_…"

"Even _more_ of a reason for _me and Riku_ not to go talk to him," Ally said simply, shrugging and walking off without the redhead. "You, however, have absolutely no reason whatsoever." Kairi stuttered out a couple of incoherent words in protest, getting no more than a wave from the already bored chaser over the girl's shoulder. "Ehhe. Good _luck_ with that…"

Kairi grumbled frustratedly under her breath and glared daggers at the retreating chaser. Then she turned slowly on her heel, anger being replaced by concern, and began to make her way to the bathroom.

ФФФФФ

"Fix him yet?"

"Nope," Ally breathed tiredly, popping on the 'p'. "Miss Kairi's working on it."

"Hn."

There was a small pause in the common room before Ally looked up at him from over the counter. Only a small sound was made as she put down the knife she was using for her lunch, added care put into the movement.

_Too tempting_, she thought. _**Much**__ too tempting._

"So," she started, teeth grinding through the word while her violet eyes flashed, "we're back to that now?" Riku looked up calmly, if not slightly curious.

"Hn?"

"Don't _hn_ at me, Mister!" she replied angrily, fringe falling over her eyes as she glared at him. "This is all about Zero, isn't it!?" He blinked once before his green eyes lowered back down to the glass chessboard. "_Isn't it_!?" she repeated, angrier this time, and he glanced back up at her, only to find that she was no longer in the kitchen.

"…Ally?"

"You wanna know the thing about me and Zero?" came the sighing voice, and Riku was reminded that he just couldn't keep up with the girl's mood swings. He turned his head to the right just in time to see her jump over the back of the couch and sit beside him (Donald had moved the common room around out of boredom some time over the last few days). Riku frowned as he saw her lean forward slightly to rest her head on her hands, her elbows on her knees.

"We lead the strangest, most interesting lives most of the time," she said. "Every day like it's his last, maybe, but for me it's more a matter of having something to do. We don't see each other much- always too busy trying not to be bored. Not that easy after five thousand years, though," she explained quietly, hands falling away so she could stare sadly at the table. "And then when we do see each other- every couple of hundred years, that is- there's nothing left to say to each other. Because when you spend so long filling up whatever time you have, you can't explain anything to someone else like that. They've done it too. They've _done_ everything."

"You done everything, Ally-wa?" Riku asked quietly, adopting Sora's nickname for her and studying her short, sad glance and the tiny spark in her eyes.

"Not everything," she replied simply, falling into a short silence before she decided that she wasn't done yet. "We get along really well, you know. Because we're alike in some ways, complete opposites in others. And we've both seen a lot more than anyone else. But you keep us together for more'n two, maybe three weeks, and we'll start trying to kill each other. Last time that happened didn't turn out pretty."

"_Remember who's winning, kitling,_" Riku murmured, suddenly finding an abrupt sense of clarity in the memory of Zero's words.

"Only by one point, _teme_," she replied quietly, "and to hell with the bastard if he gets another. Because if he does, I will hunt him down and repay the favour."

"As a one year old?"

"Yep."

"A one year old taking on a seemingly nineteen year old, overly powerful, _immortal_, jerk-of-a-guy?"

"That's how it's done," she replied with a shrug. "'Sides, he's only a jerk some of the time. And 'immortal' is a matter of perspective."

"Hn."

"I'm immortal. I still die every couple of decades," she told him quickly, grinning slightly at the pained look that came across his face. "Don't worry about it, Mister Riku. It won't happen any time soon… Unless the ship crashes within the next three hours or something…" He gave her a questioning look. "Remember Zero saying that my birthday is always on my deathday. Same diff."

"So you… can't die for the rest of the year?"

"No… well, yes… uh… no?" she seemed slightly confused herself now. "How do I phrase _that_?" she asked, pulling a shrewd face at the opposite wall as she thought it over. "Well, I suppose I _can _die for the rest of the year- god knows I get in a couple situations where I _should_… I just have a tendency _not_ to."

"A_ couple _ofsituations?"

"…okay… Maybe a few more than a 'couple'. You really don't have to be so picky, though…"

ФФФФФ

"…Sora?"

Now that it was mentioned, the bathroom was actually rather large. After forty minutes or so of having the shower going (and the great thing about Gummi ships was that, not only did the water never run out, but it never went cold, either, if you didn't want it to be) a thin layer of steam spanned across the roof.

"Yeah, you know what, why not make this worse for me, Sora?" she murmured to herself under her breath, moving further into the white room and taking several steps towards the breakage in the wall that was half covered with misted glass. She bit her lip, seeing the dark, torn fabric of Sora jacket on the floor some metres away. Then she took the last few steps to the shower and glanced in to see him sitting against the wall, his clothes soaked through as he sat under the water, arms wrapped around his knees while he shook.

She stared for another moment, taking in the claw marks in his arms before she sighed, slid her shoes off, and took the last two steps to slide down the wall beside him, effectively getting herself soaked through as well. One arm slid around him while her other hand pulled at his, dragging his palm into her view.

She sighed again as he curled into her side, grasping at her hands quickly. Then he was dragging at his skin again, trying to wash away something that she couldn't see. She huffed, reaching up to turn the heat up a little before she pulled the broken boy a little bit closer, trying to comfort him. Even as she did so his words met her ears, although he didn't appear to speak.

"_It won't go away. Blood everywhere. It won't wash off. It won't go away…_"

Kairi sighed. This was going to take a while.

ФФФФФ

Riku appeared to have fallen asleep some time back, resting comfortably back on the couch with his feet up on the low table in front of him. Ally must have dozed off somewhere along the way as well, Kairi thought, head resting on Riku's stomach as she sprawled out along the couch. Kairi whistled to herself quietly.

"Make another noise like that, Missy, and I will have to cut your hair as well," Ally murmured relatively loudly, cracking her eyes open a few millimetres to glare half-heartedly at the princess. "Be a shame too."

"I'll be sure to remember that," Kairi drawled quietly, watching Ally's eyes close again. The chaser lifted an eyebrow.

"And again with the sarcasm."

"Can't help it. I'm in that kind of mood today."

"Happy birthday to me," Ally commented simply, smiling slightly as she did so. Kairi snorted.

"Fair enough. I'll take that. Sorry if I ruin your day."

"Don't worry. I get it all the time."

"I wonder why," Kairi retorted, purposely sarcastic this time. Ally grinned, not opening her eyes for it.

"Fixed him yet?" the chaser asked groggily, recalling Riku's words from earlier.

"There's nothing _wrong _with him," Kairi replied automatically. "The fact that you see it that way, however, actually reiterates your earlier comment on not doing deep feeling chats. Or anything social at all, really."

"Told you so."

"Yeah, yeah…" Kairi dragged out knowingly. "Either way, I better get back on that. And hope he's changed now. I'm not going to hug him if he's still soaking wet."

"You tell him that. Maybe he'll stop being emo."

Kairi chuckled darkly. "Something like that. I'll see what I can do."

Ally's eyes cracked open again to look at the teenager, seeing a potentially devious expression on the girl's face. The chaser grumbled incoherently for a moment before raising her voice tiredly.

"I _really_ don't want to know."

"No, you don't," Kairi agreed simply, grinning devilishly. "Not the point though. See here- I'll leave you and Riku to keep doing… whatever you were doing…"

"Don't start with me," Ally replied, dignified and with an underlying threat in the words. Kairi laughed, nodded, and started back out of the common room.

"I wasn't even suggesting," she replied quietly, noting the small smile on the chaser's face before she left. There was a short silence after the swish of the closing doors and then Riku grunted quietly.

"What was that about?" he asked simply. Ally yawned.

"Don't worry."

ФФФФФ

"Readying booster brakes," Goofy called uncertainly, glancing at Axel as the nobody made the call in reply.

"Readying landing sequence."

"Don't land."

"What?"

"Don't land," Ally said again, appearing out of nowhere at the nobody's side. "Sora's not up to landing, so we don't land."

"What?" Axel asked again, still uncomprehending.

"Look, kit, just don't land until I say so," she fired off quickly. "And I don't say so yet."

ФФФФФ

"Are you two ever fully awake?"

"Hn?"

Riku cracked an eye open, met with Kairi's azure eyes. The redhead raised an eyebrow. "In fact- either of you moved from this couch in the last couple of days?" Riku frowned.

"Hn."

"Great load of help _you_ are."

"Didn't we discuss the sarcasm the other day?" Ally murmured quietly, not even bothering to move.

"Any idea how long ago that was, exactly?" Kairi asked tiredly. Ally yawned.

"Six days."

"Really?"

"Universal time. Six days," she repeated. "Arranathia doesn't age anymore, see, so it's on permanent stand still while the rest of the worlds go on without it. Days pass, but you don't age. Nothing changes."

"Why?"

"Because there's nothing _left _to change."

Kairi blinked, moving to sit down in the armchair across from the two of them in the same position on the couch.

"All of four people live there," Ally murmured. "That I know of anyway. Carnivic said he's got an army of gnomes where he's from, but he can be the most deceptive little bastard when he wants to. Thankful I'm taller than him, though."

"What?"

"Well, I always feel like a total short-ass around you guys," she replied quickly, making Riku snort slightly at the comment. She smiled and Kairi laughed noiselessly at the two of them.

"So you should. We're all tall. Riku must slouch to make it a tiny bit more even between you."

"Even if he shrunk, he couldn't manage it," Ally retorted slowly. Kairi grinned. "Sora better yet?" she asked, taking the slight sigh that passed through Kairi's lips as a negative answer. "If he's not well tomorrow afternoon we're going to have to drag him on and hope to god Sam doesn't kill us all. If he doesn't, Carnivic is going to suffer. Stupid thirteen year old. I'll teach him to use Nintendo warhammers…"

"…Right," Kairi murmured. "See you later then." And then she was off again, leaving Ally and Riku to their usual silence.

"Hn…"

"Hmm?"

"You say 'Carnivic'?" Riku managed quietly. "Twerpy little dwarf- greyish-blue eyes, blonde hair?"

"…'as da one…" Ally replied so quiet he almost didn't hear it. "Gonna rip 'im apart if Sam doesn't get me first, the stupid bugger."

"Kairi can deal with Sam," Riku told her quietly. Then he yawned. "I'll help with the ripping."

Ally just smiled.

ФФФФФ

"My sleeping pattern is completely askew," Ally noted dryly, yawning again as she stared at the stone-paved street in front of her.

"Askew?" Riku asked, noting that she nodded.

"Totally. Word of the day. _Askew_."

Riku grunted out a laugh. "Okay. Askew. I think I can live with it." Ally smiled at him for a moment, then blinked curiously.

"Maybe. You're hair looks kind of askew today. Can I cut it again? I don't think I did too well last time…"

"…or maybe I can't," he murmured to himself under his breath. She stared at him, unfazed. "Pretty sure you would've cut it better it I was awake at the time."

"Pretty sure you wouldn't _let_ me cut it if you were awake," she retorted tiredly. "If you had, it wouldn't be askew now, would it?" Riku merely slapped himself in the forehead. She grinned. "Kidding, Mister Riku, just kidding," she assured him simply. "You really won't need another haircut," she told him, pausing thoughtfully for a moment before adding on a short line that had him dreading his future. "Not for a couple of weeks, at least."

She shrugged, turning her eyes back out to the street in front of her. Then she frowned, preparing to raise her voice.

"Oi! Gnome Boy! I think we've got a score to settle!" she shouted, earning several surprised blinks from Riku as he wondered how someone two heads shorter than him could possibly be so loud. "Get your short-ass self out here and see how your friggin' Nintendo warhammer goes against an eighteen-year-old with a keyblade!!" She grinned. "Ah, it feels good to call someone short," she commented wistfully, earning a small chuckle from Riku. She looked up at him curiously for a moment before flashing him a small smile.

"What was with the shouting?" Kairi asked quietly as she joined them, dragging a very blank Sora along after her by the hand. Ally shrugged.

"Issuing a challenge," she explained dully, moving away from Riku to grab Sora's shirt collar and drag him down to her level, muttering something about 'vertically challenged' people quietly under her breath in a slightly irate tone. Then she searched the boy's eyes quickly. "Hn. Wake up soon, Sora. We aren't done with you yet," she commented simply. Then she let go of him and allowed him to straighten up, turning around just in time to fix her violet gaze on a short blonde boy with a large yellow and red hammer slung over his shoulder. Riku grunted.

Suddenly Ally's eyes were blazing.

"Why hel-_lo _there, Ally," the boy called. "How long's it been? Twenty-two years?"

"And six days," she corrected coldly. "Twenty-two years and six days." The boy laughed.

"Ah, yes. Missed you, I did. Very sorry I got you last time. Eighteen, it was. That'd be why you're eighteen now. I always wondered where you went Ally- and look, not a scratch on you!" he called, rambling on slightly. Ally's eyes narrowed. "Thought I'd killed you after that weird boom near the end of it- you were gone, nothing but blood splatter showing you'd been there in the first place. But you survived!" He exclaimed, and Riku shifted slightly, catching the boy's attention. "And you came back, Ally! Came back and you brought friends!"

"Can we start the ripping now?" Riku murmured quietly, and Ally shook her head, only barely. "Hn…"

"Mister Riku, I believe it was?" Carnivic called. "Funny thing, being a dwarf. Strange talents we possess. And when I went looking for Ally's conscience- I found yours instead! Why's that I wonder…?"

"Oh, go stick your head in a toilet!" Ally replied quickly, an unnatural amount of sting behind the words. Carnivic blinked.

"Touchy, Ally?" he asked. "Master Samuel will be pleased."

"_Master Samuel_ will be too busy sniffing your gooey remains to notice," Ally retorted snidely, pulling a face. And before Carnivic had the chance to retort again, she was gone, barely a flash of her keyblade appearing showing that she'd begun her attack.

* * *

Funny thing.

With the coming of my birthday, I'm going out to dinner with my unrelated cousins. And being me, I'm inviting my insane friends to meet my insane family (does the insanity of my choice show how much I fit in??). Utter catastrophe.

See, this means the inspiration of Andre is going to meet the inspiration of Carnivic Loserville the 17th (and neng, you should be able to guess who I based the second one off because we've talked about the little terror. XD).

Struggling for a band recommendation out of my new discoveries. I'll say 'Runner Runner', because I'm listening to 'So Obvious' by them right now. I like the song, what can I say. Wish I could get their stuff here :(

Australia is so outdated. (Although, we do have skies like nowhere else XD!!)

**Katie-Yu: **Okie dokie. But I'm still calling you by this. So there. :P And no. I refuse. I encourage your killing urge. It shall not be posted. And happy birthday for what I missed. Sorry. Should've said.  
**Zeromaru Chaos Mode: **Miles, you suck! (Not really, we just haven't had a chat in a while and I'm bored right now). He probably will return. idk yet. That was exactly what I was intending Sora to do, actually... I think you know me too well. -.- Weird...  
**greatgirl(minus the numbers, I really can't be bothered): **nice to know!! XD For the record, I really don't have anything against Riku fangirls, I was just going a little weird at the time... And why do you need so many numbers in your name!? And asankyou for the happy birthday XD!!  
**A-Dizzle: **well then, happy birthday for nine months from now. Or ten. Or whatever it is now. XD. Nah. I'm atheist. Or something starting with A, anyway, but it's not religeos, really. YES!! I AM IN AUSTRALIA!! ONLY FOR ALL MY LIFE!! I'VE TOLD YOU ALL THIS BEFORE!! AHHA! But yes, I still get sick in summer (and it's spring now, and it FEELS like summer!!). I'm like... PG rated as far as romance goes. Violence I can do. I love violence. I LIVE off violence (and caffeine...). But yes, PG-rated romance. So there. And another pfffft back at you! XD  
**RikuLover211: **XD. Nice to know you get what I mean. I always feel really bad about screwing up the story. I don't know why. I'm normally PROUD of confusing people... ehhe. XD  
**Syrena Li: **I shall grin at you!! XDD!!  
**The American Idiot: **finally got around to a name change, huh. Okie dokie. Glad you told me :) Fourteen until Saturday and loving it. I'll record eventually. I hope. Maybe. Really? Don't count on it though. Uhm... I had something else but I just forgot... :( nah well. XD  
**Lost Pajama Boy:** AH! I LOVE YOUR PENNAME! LOVE IT! ...pretty sure your spelling was good. I can't talk much, I should probably get this beta'd. But I really can't be bothered. Nyeah. Eh, I kind of played around with the idea of his keyblades for a bit before I wrote that so yeah... X  
**TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran: **o.o Forgot to add you. I shall do it... tomorrow. It's late and I have to go soon. BUT I WILL! Not stupid, I just really couldn't think of anything to do with it at the time. nah well... Havek will enter... eventually. I keep forgetting. And getting mental block. I shall contemplate this. Remind me until I do so. I have THE worst memory possible. XDD!  
**LadyKandaYa: **Ick. Sorry. Shouldn't've mentioned it. I had a needle at school, though, so i think I have rights to complain XD. Uh... my school ends this friday, though...  
**Jupiter-Lightning: **You do, don't you. I had this whole fluffy A/R scene planned out, but it just didn't happen... I'll work on that too, then... Zero wrote that. Not me. I thought it was fine. I didn't mind, 'cause Toph's awesome regardless and I was going off world anyway. Nyeh. XD  
**Pyro-Wolf: **Happy to update. Sorry I take so long. Pyro. Pyrofire. You're speaking to a pyromaniac here, lol. XD  
**Krystal Lily Potter: **Not my fault the site sucks. It's lame sometimes, I know. Ah well. Thought you might like that bit. Ally's funny that way. Rox and Nam went to Twilight Town around chapter 23. I think. I don't intend to breach the topic ever again though. XD lol. That muffin sounds good right about now. You tell those squirrels that I'll update whenever I want, and they can keep their rocket launchers to themselves. Remind them that my sea urchin army is watching them. Always watching. Yeah- that thing under the bed? It ain't no bogeyman! It's the sea urchins, buddy, the sea urchins... XD Now I'm all excited for my birthday... :)

.

Totally stacked it at my friend's birthday party today (ice skating XDD). I can't walk :( Screwed up my ankle and my leg. Upside is I may not have to go to school tomorrow. :)

TTYL DUCKIES!!

XDD!!


	34. Two As One

Disclaimer: You'd really think it were obvious by now…

NO LONGER ROCKCITYROADSTAR!! HOORAI!

You should thank Zeromaru Chaos Mode again. I hit another wall, see? Too much longer and I would have had to put this on hiatus. So thank him and thank him now. **Do it.**

Just something from Miles...

_Surgeon General's Warning: Staring at a white screen with black letters on it for too long may result in personal injury. If you experience any dizziness, nausea, dryness of the eyes, or general discomfort, suck it up and deal with it. And turn on a light you damn vampire!_

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

An overhead swing blocked by a diagonal parry.

**You're losing.**

A leftward horizontal slash halted by a solid thrust.

_No I'm not. Look at him, and look at me. Not that I have any idea HOW you're able to see us. He's wrecked and I've not got a scratch on me! I'm kicking his ass!_

Downward to the right, the hammer swung, the girl twirling out of its reach, delivering a quick three strikes to the smaller boy's side.

**Ally, Ally, Ally… have you learned nothing?**

The boy was panting heavily. He was being defeated and he knew it… it was time to up the ante.

_What the hell are you on about now?_

The girl's eyes narrowed, her rage subsided over the course of the fight. She watched, carefully as the smaller boy seemed to smile.

**Overlimit.**

_Wha-_

A blinding light shone from the hammer-wielding boy.

"I end this!" He swung the hammer down, the unusual aura binding Ally in place. "I ask, please scatter and engulf!" The hammer crashed upon her, slamming her to the ground as a golden light illuminated beneath her. The light quickly became an explosion.

"This is…" He leapt into the air, pulling the hammer back as far as he could reach. "The End!" The hammer seemed to shine with a brilliant light.

"_HIEN MESSHOUJIN!"_

He swung downward with all his might, the action forcing him into a double-forward flip as he dropped to the ground. A massive shockwave rocketed from the impact, a golden glow engulfing and then exploding into the air where the hammer met Ally's chest. Shards of stone and granite spiraled towards the heavens from the strike. The impact was so great that when he lifted the hammer, the ground loosed one final burst.

"Time does not return. That is the province of nature."

ΦΦΦΦΦ

"WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK WAS THAT?!"

"Language Ally."

"Don't you start with me! I had him! I had him _BEAT!_ What in the HELL was that crap?!"

"Hien Messhoujin. A very powerful attack… I didn't know he knew it. Of course, even if I'd warned you- no chance you'd have listened."

"I'm… not dead am I? I can't be dead. Right?"

"No, but you're not alive either." A female voice rang through the stark black ether the two were floating in. A girl, no older than twelve stepped into view.

"If he'd not opened a connection to you when he did… well… you would be."

Ally looked at her accomplice. "Who the hell is that?" Then she turned her gaze back to the young girl with no more than a jerk of her head, flicking her fringe out of her eyes to see better. " Who the hell are you?!"

"Ally… meet Clotho. The youngest of the three Fates."

"Jeez Zee… now you're a pedo. Bloody great."

"Shut up!"

Clotho laughed. "Ahh, it's good to see someone who can irk him easily. To be truthful this is my preferred form. Nobody would expect a little girl to be the one deciding their fate now would they?"

"The Ring." Ally.

"F.E.A.R." Zero.

"Alma doesn't count."

"Alma so bloody well counts and you know it, Clo. She is like… awesome, personified and given form."

"What _is _it with you and little girls with psychic powers?"

"Hey, hey… she's a Pyro too."

"Ugh… men."

"Uhh… not that I don't enjoy watching someone else get under his skin… can we go back to the part about me being not-dead?"

"Oh, but I do so love watching them banter." Another unusual voice rang out. This time a much older female stepped into the ether. This one with long white hair and a black cloak that barely covered a damn thing. Blinking rapidly, Ally didn't even bother asking.

"Oh, good, you came. Meet Death… she's… well… she's… interesting."

"Wait… if death's here doesn't that mean I'm _dead_?!"

Clotho shook her head.

"No… see, Zero here called in a favor. I'm here to rewrite you back into the world, should Death find your soul equal or lesser than that of the one known as Carnivic."

"Lesser? Wouldn't you take my soul then?"

"It's… complicated. And Time doesn't like when we screw around with its flow too much so let's get to the chase. Zero, she's your friend, so you do the honors."

"Will do." A book appeared out of nowhere.

"Wait. Clow Cards? What the- are you a friggin' _girl_?!"

"Once."

"OI!"

"It was interesting… I forced his soul into a female body for a couple years once. He wouldn't stop touching himself… it was rather disturbing actually. Ran around trying to make-out with as many girls as possible. I put him back in his original body right after that…"

"PERIODS SUCK!"

Ally couldn't help but drop to the 'ground' laughing her ass off. While she did that, she missed the call of "Libra!" that rang from Zero's mouth, a horrified look on his face as Clotho weaved that it would be a girl's voice.

After Ally calmed down, she saw Death holding a glowing sphere.

"Well… it seems your souls are equal. How lucky."

"So I won't die?"

"Zero… explain please?"

"Making me do all the work… pssh… Well, it works like this. You aren't going to… not-die per-se. It's more like you'll be given another shot at victory, since it seems like it will end with you or him dying. It's just that… Death will be… less inclined to take _your _soul over his. Clotho is here to weave you back into the world, along with weaving that it's more likely for your victory."

"Oh… well… that actually seems rather fair."

"That it does."

"Our job here is done. We shall take our leave."

"Ally… don't lose. I want to see you irk him more."

"Can do!"

The two females vanished.

"So…I guess I owe you one huh?"

"Nope."

"Nope?"

"Nope."

"Why nope?"

"Because."

"Because?"

"Yep."

"…I'm confused."

"Good. So am I."

"…Wait… how am I supposed to win if he's just gonna pull that trick again?"

"Weeeeeelll…here." He handed her a glowing violet sphere. "Matches your eyes, ne?"

"I…what?"

"A Cruxis Crystal. Basically it's supposed to drain you of everything that makes you human and turn you into a soulless entity of mass power."

She dropped it immediately.

"Maa, maa…relax. There's a seal you can place on it to give you all the benefits and none of the drawbacks. I had it made specifically for you… so the _other _side effect won't happen. It'll give you a nice boost in strength…and let you pull off a few…interesting new tricks. Otherwise, it's just a jewel. One of the conditions for making it was that it couldn't boost your power too much…just increase your overall abilities by a slight amount…plus the access to a few new ones… and one… very nifty… little addition…"

"Oh…kay… so what do I do with it?"

He took it from her and slammed his palm into her chest.

"AGH DAMMIT ZERO! Holy- _hell_ that hurt!"

"There you go! It can go anywhere on your body really, but the chest is usually the best place for it. Aaand the seal…"

He traced his finger along a small area around the crystal, now embedded just below her collarbone. A series of black lines turned into runes surrounding the orb, and then faded into her skin along with it.

"Where did-

"It's still there, but… not. It's basically been 'displaced', which means it's in that exact spot on your body, just not in the exact same plane of existence your body is."

"You're just a bundle of upgrades, aren't you?"

"I guess… I mean… it's not like I could miss my favorite kitling's birthday now could I?"

"You… dammit Zee… you're gonna-"

"Don't worry about it. Now… what say we kick that little boy's ass?"

"_We?_"

"Yes, we. Someone has to teach you how to use that thing. Don't worry, it'll just be my mind and yours acting like one for a little bit. As soon as the battle is over, we'll split, 'kay?"

"Hmph… don't slow me down."

"We'll see if you can keep up."

He winked, she grinned, and then the two joined hands, and a blinding flash engulfed them.

ΦΦΦΦΦ

"…is the province of nature."

Sora blinked. No, really, that's all he did. The possible destruction of one of his friends was acknowledged with just a blink. Ok, it was a slow blink but it was just a blink. Riku and Kairi on the other hand showed far more emotion. Both of them were horrified, understanding enough to know there was no way the girl could have survived.

The boy looked to where he struck and took a step back as a beam of light rocketed into the air. The beam rent itself asunder, kicking up a wall of dust.

"What… what… whaaaat?! NO! Impossible! You went squishy! WHY DID YOU NOT GO SQUISHY?!"

Two voices, overlapped as one rung out from the cloud.

"_**What, you think I'd be taken down by a cheap trick like that?"**_

_JESUS SHIT! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! ZERO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!_

**Calm down kit.**

_Calm down?! MY INSIDES ARE ON FIRE AND YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?!_

**Just give it a bit, your body is being flooded with my energy, it has to settle.**

"_**You're not the only one who knows how to play Tales…"**_

**There… see?**

_Ugh… whoa. Wooooow… that's… jesus-bloody-christ! There's so much! I feel like I could punch a PLANET in half!_

**Ehh… probably. That's what happens when you live as long as I have.**

_I've lived just as long dumbass._

_**Technically**_**. But no- you've lived separate lives with the same soul retaining most of your memories through each incarnation for the same amount of time I've lived. There's a difference. Each time you died, you lost a bit of power when you reincarnated. Over the centuries you've gained a great deal, but since you've lived consistent fragmented lives, some of them not even getting past the first year, you've lost more than you've gained, which makes you a **_**lot**_** weaker than me.**

_Bastard._

**Just telling it like it is kit. The problem is that I have **_**too **_**much power. You're not even feeling the full extent. Because I **_**haven't **_**died once yet, all that power is contained in my feeble little human body. I have to be careful with even just **_**walking**_**, lest I crush half a continent. I've got more raw power and better refined control, but you've got just as much, if not greater skill, because in each life you focused on a different subject of attack, with the norm revolving around Fire. So, unless I plan on taking out half a solar system, you and I are basically evenly matched.**

_I see. Can we start with the ass kicking now? I'm getting tired of hearing his stammering._

**Indeed. Let us begin. Just flow with me here kit. We're gonna beat him at his own game.**

_With a hammer the size of a planet?_

**Umm… well… we **_**could **_**Goldion Crusher him…but we'd probably end up killing your little harem in the process.**

_HEY!_

"NO! NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-**NO!** I won't accept this! I won't-I won't-I WONT!"

ΦΦΦΦΦ

Kairi cocked her head to the side curiously, squeezing Sora's unresponsive hand simply as she noted something about the way Ally was speaking. "Doesn't she sound like… well… a guy?"

Riku glared so hard that if it were possible the combined form of Zero and Ally…or at least the Zero portions, would have been dead a hundred times over. "_Him._"

Kairi gave a small smirk at Riku's obvious jealousy and annoyance.

_She tells me not to interfere, and then she goes and lets __**him **__pull something like this! … wait… she __**did **__say he was insanely powerful… what if… he gave her no choice? Ugh… he saved her life… I should be thankful… but dammit… this makes no sense!_

ΦΦΦΦΦ

_Wings? I have wings now?_

**Yep. Don't worry about flapping them, they'll do that on their own. The wings generate a unique energy field localized around you. The flapping induces lift, but movement is controlled by your will. The wings themselves are made of energy, the color varying on people. Ours are currently a mixture of mine and yours, which is why they're kinda purple. The more wings you have, the stronger the energy field. The field can reduce damage, possibly nullify it if the difference between strengths is great enough. Also, with it, you can kinda warp in short bursts. Not much more than maybe ten feet at a time, but it happens in an instant, so it's damn useful for getting out of tough situations. Enough talk. You'll learn as we go.**

"GO SQUISHY!"

The dwarf sized boy brought the hammer down… only to hit air as Ally vanished in a flicker of light. She appeared behind him, a sword appearing in her hand.

_You __**do **__know I'm better with a staff right?_

**Yes, but I'm better with a sword, and a lot of what I plan to do involves a sword. Right now we're sharing a body, so you have my skills. Don't worry about it. Besides, it's never good to focus on only one weapon style. This'll help.**

The blade crackled with electricity. Ally thrust the blade into Carnivic's back, the electricity gathering at the tip of the blade and electrocuting him in a **Raijinken. **The boy whirled around, bringing the hammer along with him in a wide horizontal arc, missing again as Ally flipped over and spun like a saw blade. Their **Rekkuuzan** gave the smallish boy a new scar over his left eye as he ducked a split second too late and got hit by the first rotation.

Ally landed and pivoted on her left foot, flicking the blade around in her hand and thrusting again, this time gathering wind _and _lightning energy into it. The **Fuuraijinken **not only electrocuted as it pierced, but after zapping the boy, he was launched by the remaining wind energy slamming into him like a moving wall. Ally twirled the blade around again while spinning on her heel, swinging the weapon from left to right in a diagonally upwards arc. The movement created a small shockwave. **Majinken **flying low to the ground, it slammed into Carnivic with the force of a freight train.

Blinking behind Carnivic, Ally slammed her left foot into his back, launching him into the air, where she pursued. **Hienkyaku,** a series of rapid mid-air kicks followed by a **Shinkuuretsuzan **where she spun like a saw again, only with razor sharp wind energy surrounding her and the blade, tearing through Carnivic like he was nothing. The boy still lived and crashed to the ground.

"_**Didn't I tell you? I'm a master at that game. Hmph, like to use Hi-Ougi's do you? Fine, I'll show you a GOOD one."**_

_Zero, what are you doing?_

**Oh, don't worry…this'll be fun. You'll like this.**

The sword glowed. A second, smaller almost dagger like blade appeared in her free hand.

_Wait, two?!_

**Shhh!**

"_**Instant miracles are not brought to mix with life now…"**_

She brought the blade up, then left then right then stabbed with it, then used the smaller blade to slash up again. The sword flared with violet light as it seemed to change shape.

"_**Time passes…Unite here and rise to the future!"**_

She brought it back for a full weighted underhanded swing upwards followed by a diagonally downward right wide slash. She then stabbed with both blades before crossing them in front of her and slashing in an X motion.

"_**Righteous Holy Sword!"**_

She brought the blades together, the two merging into one massive blade of energy. With both hands she swung down, creating a massive wall of light and dust…

But she wasn't done.

"_**I cut off the past…"**_

The light and dust swirled around, gathering into her blade. She had her back turned to her foe, an almost depressed look on her face as violet energy swirled around.

"_**Scatter!"**_

She brought her left blade up, paralyzing Carnivic with a wall of light. She drew back her right arm as all the wild energy surrounding her gathered within the blade. She prepped her legs, and then pushed off the ground, literally rocketing towards the dwarf like boy.

"Oh…crap."

_**MAJIN RENGOKU SATSU!**_

A massive wall of light accompanied her charge as she pierced through him…but he yet lived.

ΦΦΦΦΦ

"SHIT!" Riku yelled. "What the HELL does it take to keep that kid down?!"

"Look! She's not finished yet!"

ΦΦΦΦΦ

"I'm…still alive…hahaha! I'm still alive! You can't beat me! You can't, you can't, you can't!!"

"**Tenkou mitsukuru tokoro ware wa ari…"**

A massive wave of violet energy washed over the area.

"_**Yomi no mon hiraku tokoro ni nanchi ari…"**_

Dark clouds began gathering above them, small flashes of light flickering throughout. The air grew dense with energy as the world seemed to stop.

"_**Ideyo! Kami no Ikazuchi!"**_

"Wh-what?! This is-

The clouds began to swirl, a beam of light shooting into the air from Carnivic's location. His eyes widened as he understood what was happening.

"_Ikuzo! _**Kore de SAIGO DA!"**

Bolts of lightning began raining down on the dwarf boy. The air was filled with crackling booms of thunder with each strike.

"_**INDIGNATION!"**_

The two minds focused on one thing: his end.

A massive bolt of violet energy raced down towards the boy.

This…this is impossible!

**AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"**

**BOOOM!**

ΦΦΦΦΦ

"So…what now?"

"You keep going that's what. And punt that fucker Sora in the 'nads for me will you? Bastard's got a higher light rating than I do, he shouldn't be moping around THIS long."

"Hey! He-"

"Yeah I know what he did. So what? Those girls were trying to kill him, AND your little friends on that world. Those guys would have been more than happy to do the same. Look…I know the first kill is always the worst, especially since he'd been 'killing' shadows for the past couple years. But he's killed "people" before. Or were the members of the Organization too 'magical' to count?"

"I…ugh…I can't argue with you, it's pointless."

"Exactly."

"Wait a minute though…why didn't you just pop here and help me?!"

"I… don't know where you are…"

"…The hell are you talking about?"

"I can see the spark that is your life…but I can't see the world you're on. Wherever you are, I can't get there."

"Couldn't you just…follow the spark?"

"I…could…but it's possible I'd warp into a wall. Literally."

She started laughing.

"I'm serious. Have you ever telefragged someone with a solid wall? It's not pretty. Half their body ends up sticking out of it while the other half becomes a bloody pulp. Besides…I don't think that world likes me much."

"What 'cha mean?"

"Its defenses fought tooth and nail to keep me from contacting you. I had to **weave **a thread that allowed for it, and even then it was difficult sustaining it."

"Ha! Now you've got planets hating you!"

"Yeah, story of my life."

"Hey…do you think…"

"He can. But I'm not teaching it to him."

"Oh come on! Don't be a douchebag!"

"It's a skill perfected by me, therefore I have the right to withhold its knowledge. I don't trust him, he's not worthy of such a connection to you. When he proves himself, then I'll teach it to him."

"Bastard."

"And you love me for it. Alright kit, I'm out. Can't hold the connection much longer, especially since the whole reason for it is now gone."

"Bah, I'm tired of you anyway."

"Aren't we all…"

ΦΦΦΦΦ

"Ah… this is what having nothing feels like," Ally muttered bitterly, smiling humorlessly to herself as the dust started to clear. She tasted the copper tang of blood in her mouth as she let out a shaky cough and felt a drop slide from her lips. Then she half-fell to the ground, resting on her knees tiredly while she half stared up at the sky, seeing some of the stars through Arranathia's evening twilight. "Emptiness and whatnot. And with all your boundless energies, you had to take mine. Bastard." She was silent for a moment, thinking of Zero's accident, head falling, fringe covering her eyes. After a moment the tiniest smile twisted at the corners of her lips. "…Thankyou…"

The dust finally settled around her while the night began to sweep across the sky and she felt the dull aches in her body sharpen slightly before a warm hand was laid on her shoulder.

"Mister Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"No body, is there?" she half asked, half stated, not moving, barely even speaking loud enough to be heard. There was a small silence before he replied with a small 'no'. Ally grunted out a small laugh, still not moving. "That was more than I expected," she stated quietly. She was silent for a moment or two, still not moving, face in shadow. "I should probably try to move soon."

"Why?" Riku asked softly.

"Because if I don't, Sam'll probably send me back to the ether and everything Zero did will be for nothing. Can't let that happen…"

_Move, kitling_.

"He'd probably say that, actually," she noted dryly, ignoring the slow sigh from Riku's general direction. "Then he'd remind me that I'm a total idiot. Don't mind that, it's sometimes true."

"You're delirious."

"You're multi-coloured," she countered simply, doing no more than proving his point. She still hadn't looked at him. "…I don't think I can move."

"What, you _want _to get killed?"

"…I mean I think I _really _can't move. I'm _beyond_ the ability of moving…" she paused for a moment. "Where'd those wings go?"

"Wings?"

"Wings would be wonderful. Ten feet. That's all I'd need. Ten feet and I wouldn't be here," she mumbled. Riku grunted.

"And what's so bad about _here_?"

"Haven't you been listening?" she murmured. "Listen. Just listen."

And it was in the silence that followed that he heard the low growl resonating from the small-town buildings around them, making him glance around uncertainly as he realized he couldn't find the source. It was suddenly darker, further into Arranathia's night. This was now a dark realm, they were now prey. And it was no more than a whisper from Ally's lips that confirmed his suspicions.

"_Sam…_"

* * *

Was going to write more until I was off-world, but that seemed like a good place to sign off. That's me. I'm full of bombshells and cliffhangers. It's a talent of mine (of course, I make everything into a talent. Like rambling. Or yelling instead of talking. Or being obnoxious and rude. Hn. Good talents there.)

Funny thing, Miles. The kid Carnivic's based off would actually say all that 'squishy' stuff (ignore that he hates me at the moment. Everyone hates me, I'm annoying...). Exactly how you phrased it, too. And I was sitting there when I read it the second time 'round and I stared at it for a minute and then I started laughing. I was laughing so hard that I actually fell out of my beanbag…

…weird looks from family members, let me tell you…

Hafta keep this short 'cause I hafta get off soon (Megan's a net hog, saruai, read her if you like FFX, check my little add, i typed quick and I'm returning the favour, so yes, saruai, remember it, i think her story's in my favourites, blah blah blah). ANYWAY! I would love to gibberish you all in my replies, I really would, and I probably, will, but this has to be a bit quicker, so...

**Krystal Lily Potter and Holly Skyla Hart: **haha. Holly, if you actually do read my story you will review me. Or I won't update, I mean it, I'm lazy, it just gives me a stupid reason. Zero will bombard you with hatred. I'll... well, I'll probably do what I normally do - read your cousin's story, send her an epic, and then put off my geography assignment. Which is due next week. Wonderful. And yeah, lemmings to you too. XD! For the record, Krystal, was the "you're a terrible person and you're going to hell" directed at me or Holly, because I wasn't quite sure... although I do agree with Holly's retort for that... you are a hypocrite (and so am I, so it's good). Orange soft drink. Remember that. It will make me rich. HSH, what did ya find out about her story? I want to know! For the record, no one knows where my story's going. Not even me, most of the time. I mean, no one's guessed who's going to die yet! WTF!? No, no, I like disney music, it's just that my sister like the repeat button. She likes it alot. That's bad, by the way. HA! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT 'ASKEW' MEANS!! AND YOU CAN'T SPELL 'PREGNANT'!! (Sorry, but I did tell Krystal that I would say it eventually, because it was stated in her last chapter... I really don't mean anything by it. I normally can't spell 'cake' without spellcheck, so yeah...). Said tiny person is actually a total BITCH in real. At least... he is right now... bastard... won't talk to me for no reason. Hn. Know what? You go kill someone, Krissy, and we'll see how you deal. Then you can rip off Sora. XD. Sounds like a plan. And don't be ashamed if you have anger issues. I do and I'm PROUD! (I think my friends are scared, but heyyy...). Lemmings, lemmings, lemmings... lemmings are EVERYWHERE! ...Wow. And I said I was going to make this quick. This is pretty epic for 'quick'. Although, in my defence, I am replying to two VERY odd people that I enjoy being insane to. AND ALSO! Conversation with a friend of mine earlier this week in which it was a stupid contest (which I won, by the way, because), I told him "people in CANADA know I'm a dumbass!" and then he goes "wow, Nicole... that's actually quite an achievement... Canada? That shows dedication!" XDD! Remember that.

**RikuLover211: **asankyou. And a happy birthday to you too for then. Push ups are lame. It's like my tennis coach's "no, you have to reach HIGHER!" Let me tell you, that ached for weeks... guh. Last chapter was... no, wait, I actually don't remember it. Ha! Memory span of a goldfish!

**The American Idiot: **decided to go with chasingfireflies. It's part of my msn name as well... hn... story there. Guess it fits me. AAAANYYWAYY! Took you a while to review? Took me a while to update! See? We're matched! Yes, well, the leg thing (which still hurts after FIVE WEEKS!! ZOMGWTF!?)... nahha. If Ally-wa were, in fact, a real person, I'm sure she would say hello to you as well. And kweh to you too, 'cause we are both now chocobos. XD!

**Jupiter-Lightning: **Lol. Well, I listen to emo music. And I write emo music. But that IS my rep, y'know? XDDD! I did have an awesome birthday, thank you. (Apart from being ditched by one of my friends for no good reason, pfft...). I had a lot of cake ove the holidays. And when I say a lot, I mean... like... a LOT... XDD!

**TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran: **Oh, geez... I really haven't mentioned any of them lately, have I? Donald and Goofy and blah, blah, blah... Welllllll... they will be in future chapters, I guarantee you. Because that death that was mentioned a while ago that nobody guessed? Yeah, it's gonna have a massive affect, in theory. Probably not when I write it, no... Hn... I should work on that... Ah well...

**AkaMizu-chan: **I love people who use that word! 'Fantabulous'. Ha! That actually made my day. Hope you liked this chapter. XD

**A-dizzle: **I really liked that name. But I turned it down because you 'pfft'ed me in it. Kidding, kidding... No, no, our seasons go in regular order, kit, just at different time. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring. Pfft. Don't worry, though, The American Idiot missed every time I said I was Australian as well (and if he reads this part, he should know I'm still laughing at that). Violence and humour. And angst. I'm good with the angst. In a sense, anyway. No. Zero's not dying. Too bad. You can never cyber slap me into doing it (although you CAN cyber slap me into updating, it does work). Why don't you believe I'm Australian, I want to know! Caffeine doesn't affect me as such. It's kind of ingrained into my system by now. I'm shrugging, if that helps. I'm fifteen. That's not old. '93 was the year of boredom-spawn. Thus, I am constantly bored. And yes, I'm a massive wimp, I admit this. And I admit it with DIGNITY!! No... no, wait, I never had that, don't worry. Dignity. Pfft. Who needs it?

**Scarpaw: **Carnivic and his nintendo warhammer haunt my nightmares. Along with pooh bear and all the sheets we get in geography. XD Interesting fact, no?

**Zeromaru Chaos Mode: **Well, pfft. Everything is a ninja power to me. Fast-talking gibberish, is a ninja power to me. You have no idea how effective that actually is. XD JESUS! I NEED TO TELL YOU! MRS WALLER (who is one of the jap teachers at our school) TOTALLY NINJAED ME TODAY! I WAS BEYOND CREEPED OUT! rofl. I agree. Computers should stop asking us to do things. Computers are lame (well, mine are, anyway. Believe me, they suck). Glad you like that custom backstory. If you hadn't I'd have had to go back and change it. I was actually going to pick that. 'Epic Name'. It's just so... well, epic. But 'chasingfireflies', while sometimes lame, has a bit of a background for me. And in a way it fits, so it's good. Of course your corruption is spreading, kitling. I've been calling my friends that. They were a little like "whaaaaat?" for a bit, but I do things that no one understands, so they're mostly used to it by now. With the way you're going, though, you will soon have some sense of total world domination. Elite. XDD!

**Bloodcherry:** lol. It was spanish. I DID translate it. And thankyou. XD

XDD!


	35. Define 'Unexpected'

Disclaimer: Is there any reason I keep doing these?

* * *

**Chapter 35**

It was echoing around them. Just an endless growling. A minute passed. Almost two. Riku glanced around blankly, in all senses, alerted, just not showing it. He looked over at Kairi, who stared back dully for a moment before letting out a small sigh, clearly over the whole battle thing. Sora was as stoic as always, if not slightly… well, slightly nothing. He didn't appear to notice or to care or to _anything_, and for the first time Riku felt a pang of concern for his friend. He needed the younger boy back and he needed him back soon.

"Try this…" Ally mumbled quietly, half singing to herself beside him, still not moving. "Of all the things I need to face, well it's all… so…" she trailed off for a moment, lifting her head slightly to look straight ahead of her, something half-sad showing in her eyes. "…_fake_…"

A bundle of black flames, she thought for a moment. That was all he'd been reduced to. Her eyes dropped again.

"Sammy," she stated simply, deathly quiet even as the cliché of rain fell over them all in the most-dark, deserted town while a man covered in undying black fire stood before them. She muttered something sounding suspiciously like 'fan-effing-tastic' under her breath before she gritted her teeth and attempted to move her hand, resulting in no more than a twitch of her fingers. "Yeah, great. Absolutely perfect."

Riku lifted an eyebrow curiously, watching her rather than the man of black fire.

"Thanks Zero. Thanks a lot. Don't care that it was an accident. Doesn't matter that you didn't know you stole me. Gonna wind up meeting your friend Death again. Friend. Ha. Fat load of crap, that is. I think I'll ask her if you slept with _her_, too. And then I'll ask Clotho to turn you back into a girl again. Or even better- transgender. That should be significant revenge for making me dead. And when I come back as a death god – and, oh yes, I guarantee I will – you will fear me. I'll be that death god you've never heard of in your stinkin' video games, Shinzaki. Let's see how you work then."

"You aren't dying today," Riku told her firmly. And it was those words that had him standing up and walking forward to meet the burning man.

**---**

A right hand met by a dulled blade.

An over head swing met by a blackened hand as hard as stone.

A straight thrust not met at all.

An echo of earlier spoken words. "You're losing."

Riku merely growled.

Dead. Dead- he's dead, she killed him…

"I won't lose," he murmured to himself, knees bending under the pressure of Sam's swing, short silver hair falling over his eyes as he gritted his teeth. "I won't."

"Take your leave," came the voice of the dead gnome, coupled with the half-formed, growled words of the dark king. Riku's eyes darted around him and his opponent, even as the Half Moon set off sparks against Sam's dulled, blunt sword. He saw Kairi attempting to help Ally up while violet eyes stared off to his left, agitated but unsurprised, Sora standing a little away from them, unrestrained, eyes closed against everything. "Go now." A flash of blonde to his left and his keyblade flashed out, away from him, to crash into the small blonde boy, even as Sam drove the rusted hilt of his blade into Riku's gut. His eyes watered, he dropped to his knees, and his arms gripped his stomach as he sucked in air, winded. Sam raised his blade, sending dark flames along it's length, sharpening and shining. "Then we take a life. Die now."

The sword dropped.

Riku looked up at the blade coming towards him. With a grim acceptance, he blinked, daring a glance to his keyblade lying on the ground metres from him, no victim in sight. There was an odd swishing sound, followed by a dull clang as he waited for the sword to drop on him.

It didn't come.

He could feel the burning heat to his left, and turning his eyes back to Sam he found a familiar keyblade blocking the blow. Blue eyes opened, dark and clouded, staring at the ground, face shadowed from his dark fringe, left arm locked out against Sam's attack, was Sora.

"Bugger off, uncle," he said after a moment, deathly quiet and surprisingly simple. But before Riku had the chance to laugh, or even lift an eyebrow at the choice of words, Sora's keyblade had been torn away, replaced by the boy's right fist slamming into Sam's chest in a motion that had Sora facing away from those he was protecting and sending the older man flying straight out of the town with a wave of blue-black energy warping the air around them. When it cleared again Sora stood before him, wrapped in the same darkness as his uncle had been.

There was a short silence as no one moved before he spoke. "Skin as cold as his heart," Sora mumbled. "Dark as warm as his rage." His keyblade fell from his hand, disappearing with less than a flash into nothing. Riku started to stand up, resisting the impulse to step away from Sora and his dark flames as the boy looked down at the ground in front of him. "I don't want to be made of stone anymore, Riku…"

Riku relaxed, reaching his hand past Sora's burning flame to grip his shoulder. "Couldn't be more far from the truth," he noted simply, waiting for the boy to turn around.

"Hey, Riku! Some help would be _nice_!"

"Hn…?" There was the odd sound of fire being blown out as the two boys whirled around to look at Kairi and Riku realised that Sora was back to normal, flameless and with eyes of the right colour. The red haired girl was back on her feet, hands on her hips, and glaring at the two of them rather bluntly.

"You," she said, pointing at Riku, then gesturing to Ally beside her who appeared to be half asleep. "Get her up, we'll need to take her back to the ship. And _you_!" she added, turning her gaze entirely to Sora as Riku walked forward to haul Ally onto his back. "Over here, Mister!" was her simple order, making him blink once or twice before he walked over to her and was immediately attack with a hug. He blinked again while Riku laughed at him- ignoring the girl on his back with her arms around his neck. "Idiot," Kairi sighed, earning a small smile from him before he hugged her tightly back.

**---**

"Where're you off to, Sora?" Riku asked simply, watching the younger boy as he started for the gummi's ramp. Sora glanced at him.

"I need to find Sam," Sora replied simply. "He knows things. I need to know." Riku blinked. Then he picked up a bag from the table in the corner of the docking room and slung the satchel over his shoulder.

"I'm coming."

"Don't want to look after Ally-wa?"

"Don't want to spend time with Kairi-chan?" Riku retorted quickly. Sora stared at him for a moment before a lopsided grin worked its way onto his face.

"Touché." He paused for a moment, staring at Riku, before he turned on the spot and exited into the empty town. "Let's see…" They were silent for some time, hearing nothing but their own footsteps as they made their way through the streets of the abandoned world. It was some time before either of them spoke.

"Can I ask you a question?" Riku asked quietly, finding his voice eventually. Sora seemed to sigh.

"I've heard that so many times over the past few months," he replied simply. "I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one who's finding it quite redundant now."

Riku was silent for a moment as he threw a glance at his friend. "…I'm going to take that as a yes," he said plainly. "I was wondering why it hurt you so much to kill those men when you destroyed Organization Thirteen no more than two or three months ago."

"Longer actually – Arranathia's unnatural time sense is way, _way_ off. We've been here for roughly three months now. It only seems like a half-day," Sora explained softly before falling into a terse silence for several minutes. Riku glanced at him, wondering if he were going to actually answer the question or not, then figuring that the younger boy would confess when he felt the time was right. With this in mind, he stayed quiet for another half hour, wondering whether to say anything only when he sighted the spires of a castle on the horizon in a little more detail.

"They weren't real," Sora said eventually, his quiet voice breaking the thick silence around them as effectively as if he'd shouted it. He glanced at Riku, allowing the other boy to see the brokenness still in him.

Riku cocked his head to the side slightly in question.

"The Organization," he continued. "They weren't real." And that was enough said for the time being, so Riku didn't press his companion further. Rather, he preferred to wait for Sora to speak of his own accord.

Minutes passed in silence before he spoke again.

"In a way. The were kind of…" Sora paused for a moment. "…Soulless? They didn't feel, didn't care, the only thing they _felt _was anger and desire for something more. And heartless, they aren't really anything either. They're only halves. And they can't find the other part of themselves, no matter how long they take." He paused for a little bit more. "I think they're better off when they're gone, you know? But humans, fully human beings, who feel and need and want, feel hate and sadness and love. Would've had families. And I killed them…"

"Son of a good man, nephew of a murderer," he commented matter-of-factly. Riku blinked.

"I see…" the older boy replied. "I'm going to subtly make a change of conversation now, I hope you don't mind?"

Sora grinned. "I love it when you guys use subtlety," he replied. "I never even notice. You're all stealth-like and all."

Riku grinned for a moment before a frown wound it's way onto his face. "Sora?" he asked, suddenly sounding either ashamed or concerned, Sora couldn't pick which. "I think we've been spending too much time around Ally." Sora scoffed.

"Speak for yourself, fanboy," he replied mockingly. "I've been too emo to bother. Not to say that even in my week-long daze I didn't even at one point find myself wondering why you haven't kissed her yet." Riku gaped, whether at the fanboy quip, the comment about kissing the girl, or both, though, he was uncertain. "Why Mister Riku," Sora started, humoured, "I do believe you've fallen flat on your face for this girl."

Riku merely grunted, snapping his mouth shut and fixing the younger boy with a cold glare. "Like anyone should take romantic advice from you," he retorted hotly. "You fight with your girlfriend every second minute." Sora merely grinned.

"Ah, but see," he replied gently but in a 'you just set yourself up' tone. "I never said anything about romantic advice. I was just teasing. If you really wanted advice you should've asked Zero. He has a thing for getting female attention. I think you noticed."

Riku deadpanned. "I walked right into that one, didn't I," he stated, not even bothering to ask. Sora merely smiled.

"Yeah. You really, really did."

**---**

Donald squawked angrily and bashed his staff against the fuzzy monitor, ignoring Goofy's slightly bored stare as he did so.

"Stupid ruddy piece of-"

"I wouldn't… yell at it… if I were you," came a disjointed voice from the door to the bridge. "It can… hear you… Be nice… or else… White Screen Of Doom."

Someone else seemed to sigh. "You really shouldn't be talking so much. In fact, I don't even know why I brought you out here. You're going back to bed, and then I'm going to figure out where those boys went."

"…Why…?"

"…Missed… Sora… so much…"

"Don't you… pause between… words… That's my thing…"

"You can claim ownership of that kind of stuff?"

"Bugger… off…"

Donald seemed to growl frustratedly. "Were you actually going to say anything interesting or just bicker like a pair of girlish two year olds?" he asked snidely.

"Hey…! I… resent that…!"

"Yeah, don't get your knickers in a twist, Donny."

"Well, Kairi, you seem to be in an awfully good mood," Donald replied sarcastically. "Giving people annoying nicknames just for the sake of it."

"Glad you noticed," came the short reply.

"Nah… she's just… making plans… to… jump her boyfriend's bones…when he gets back… from uncle-hunting." Kairi blinked, ignoring Donald's accusing, shocked, and slightly horrified expression.

"Dude," she started, drawing out the word with a slightly awed look on her face. "How'd your wheezing voice spit that out so quickly? And how'd you _know_ that?"

Ally grunted. "When you… see as much as I have… you can… normally pick… what people are thinking…" she explained, just as quickly as before, leaning heavily against the doorframe, almost slumped down to half her height. Neither of them paid any attention to Donald's quietly stated 'not on my ship'. "And… as to… the wheezing… I have… no bloody idea…"

Kairi merely chuckled. "Come on Ally-wa," she said calmly. "What say you to popcorn and a movie?" Ally smiled slightly, grasping the other girl's arm as she was helped to stand again.

"Sounds… good…" she answered simply before fixing Donald with a warning glare and pointing at him lazily. "And you… no hating… on technology now…"

"Or 'White Screen Of Doom'?" Goofy asked, clearly not giving a rats what the others were planning as long as they were happy and safe, as opposed to Donald, whose feathers seemed to be tinted red with his unclear fury. Ally nodded.

"White Screen Of Doom," she confirmed. Then she was being dragged down the hall by Kairi, talking about some pointless topic. Neither of them paid attention to the blustering duck calling after them in a semi-pleading tone or the red-haired nobody calling after him.

"Not on my ship!"

**---**

"Does it always rain here, or is it just me?"

Sora frowned. "Ask me again when I'm _not _trying to hold back my gag reflex," he replied, staring at the drawbridge ahead of them as they approached the castle. Riku quirked an eyebrow.

"Why are you…?"

"Grey," Sora replied. "Everything tastes like grey. And it's horrible. It really, really is." There was a short silence before Riku snorted loudly. Sora turned his gaze to his silver haired friend questioningly. Riku merely smiled.

"I just realised," he said, "six months ago I was pitied and feared and worse off than everyone." Sora shrugged a slight acceptance. "Now that's you." Sora stared at him for several moments as they stopped on the edge of the bridge. Then he snorted as well.

"Yeah, that's me."

They stood idly, looking at the large castle doors over the drawbridge. Several minutes passed before Riku spoke again.

"…Are we actually going to move, or not?"

Sora snorted. "Right. Let's go."

**---**

"We going off world now, Sora?"

"Huh? What? Right, yeah, sure…" Truth be told, he really wasn't paying any attention at all, thinking over the short amount of time he'd spent in his uncle's company while Riku went on ahead of him and he paused before the gummi ship ramp, standing in the rain.

"Sora?" Donald asked accusingly. "Something you want to talk about?" Sora turned his eyes back to the duck in front of him on the ramp. Then he lifted an eyebrow.

"Not particularly, no," he replied curiously. "Should there be?" Donald tapped his foot on the ground persistently, fixing the teenager with a critical stare. After deciding the boy was considerably oblivious, he merely crossed his arms and stepped back.

"No. No, of course not."

Sora stared at him warily for another minute or so before shrugging simply and walking onto the ship, hearing it close up behind him and feeling the slight pull of gravity as they took off. They'd broken atmosphere before he'd even made it near the common room, leaning through the door and glancing curiously at Riku, slumped back on the couch while Ally laid across the rest of the lounge, using his stomach as a pillow. He stared for a minute or two with an odd look on his face, eventually opening his mouth to talk.

"Don't say it, Sora," Ally called simply, sounding slightly groggy even as she was significantly threatening. He held up his hands in surrender, conveniently ignoring the fact that she had her eyes closed.

"Right then, I won't," he said simply. "You know where Kairi is?"

He quirked an eyebrow as both Riku and Ally cracked an eye open to look at him, the latter starting to smirk visibly. "Last I heard, she was in her room," was Ally's short reply, and he had the slight implication that she was inwardly laughing at him. He frowned, trying to figure out why he had the feeling they were both laughing at him. He shrugged after a minute or two, turning around and walking off.

"Righteo," he said, rolling his eyes and ignoring the quiet laughter that he heard behind him. It wasn't until some minutes later that he got back to Kairi's room, knocking once, only to be pulled quickly past the door.

He soon found out why Riku and Ally had been laughing.

---

"Hey Ally?" Riku asked quietly, breaking the silence that'd been between them in both their half-sleeps for a couple of hours by then. Her reply was wordless, quiet, and rather distant, almost as if she were on the very brink of blacking out completely.

"Hmm…?"

"You said there was no body," he murmured softly, not opening his eyes as he did so. "After the thing with Carnivic. And then I could've sworn-" he cut off slowly with a yawn before continuing. "-that he was there when I was fighting. And you aren't chucking a emo and going all Sora…" He paused for a moment, thinking over his last statement. "I think that came out wrong. Chucking a Sora and going all emo."

She snorted slightly.

"Zero cut a deal…" she started quietly. "With Death… so I would return to this life as long as she could… take Carnivic's soul instead of mine…" she trailed off for a couple of moments, and he heard only her even breathing as she staved off her sleep. "Neither of them realised…. that Carnivic has… oddities about him. As a dwarf… he's not normal. He's not… immortal… he just has… several souls at his disposal…" she sighed. "So Death took a soul… but not _his_…"

"He even have one?"

"Good question," she grunted quietly. "Bastard sure as hell… doesn't have a heart. And if I've learnt anything from him… it's that it doesn't matter how much you trust someone, how well you think you know them… they can still hurt you… and they'll leave you behind if it makes them feel better about themselves…"

Riku frowned, deciding to ignore the comment on a part of her past he didn't know about until she was entirely awake. "But he's not dead?"

"Not really… no…"

"And you're not disappointed?"

"…It's like a super Mario game… doesn't matter how many times… you die or someone else does… if you work hard enough… you'll be back later… so will they…"

"…Fair comparison…"

"Until they come back as dragons."

"Can he do that?"

"He already was… a scaly, cold-blooded snake…" she replied simply, a barely heard hint of spite in her words. Riku half-chuckled. "Far as I'm concerned… it just evened the score… one all…"

"If you say so Ally-chan…"

---

It was twelve or so hours later that Sora stumbled down the corridor to the common room, still slightly dazed. With a short intake of breath, he gripped onto the wall closest to him, glancing around warily as the ship rocked dangerously and the lights flickered several times. Next he knew he was clapping a hand to his forehead, gritting his teeth in pain while the static swelled through his mind.

…_Sora…_

His fingers were twisting into his hair with such force that he was almost tearing it out at the roots.

…_Couldn't be more far from…_

…_Sora…_

He slumped against the wall as the ship rocked again.

…_Vasaar believes…_

…_Murderer…_

He slid down to the ground entirely, gripping at his head, wanting the static to go away.

…_You've always got a choice… _

…_Elesario… _

…_the weakest part of an army…_

He couldn't see past the black and red dots in his vision. Because of that he didn't notice the grey and multi-coloured portal opening in the wall two or three metres down the corridor.

…_what you can suppress you'll never…_

…_Sora…_

…_is he who…_

…_You'll never be free…_

…_what can you see of…_

…_is that what you're destined t-…_

A slight spray of red flew from the portal, but Sora was still too busy clawing at the ground, trying to put his mind back together.

…_Vasaar believes…_

…_Show me what you're made o-…_

…_the weakest part of an army…_

…_your far future…_

… _is the one directing it…_

The spray was soon followed by something bigger, something solid. Then there was more red coating the ground, spreading from it's source as the portal closed.

…_the weakest part of an army…_

He whimpered slightly.

…_the weakest part of an army…_

A coughing fit from the body on the ground.

…_Sora… _

…_the weakest part of an army…_

His eyes snapped open, fixing immediately on the older blonde man on the ground, and then he was scrambling to save him, ignoring the now-loud voice in the back of his mind.

…_**the one leading it!**_

He was rolling the man over, draining his own strength through cure spells in moments as the dying man coughed up blood, gasping for air.

"Sora," he gasped out, clutching at the Keyblade Master's shirt in a vice-like grip, struggling to focus, struggling not to cough through his words. "Sora!"

"Shut up, Christian, I'm trying to fix you!" he shouted back frantically, grabbing the man's hand and pushing him back down, even as the blonde shook his head. His next words stopped him completely.

"Sora! The king! The king is dead!"

* * *

**WHEN I SAY I DIDN'T WRITE THE CHAPTER, I WANT YOU ALL TO LISTEN!**

Although, I did write this one myself. But see, if someone else wrote it for me, say thanks to them. And even if I HAVE written it, if y'all don't like something, you can say so. But don't bitch about it. It's _my _story, and I'm not _making _you read it!

So, Zeromaru Chaos Mode wrote pretty much the entire last chapter, and I wrote this one entirely on my own.

But, yes, you should all start actually paying attention to my a/n's. There's some important stuff in these… sometimes…

**Suigetsudan: **ahh, if only... I tried to translate it, I really did. It's just that I suck at finding good (and I mean REALLY good) online translators. I keep moost of the Japanese out of my chapters when I write them, but when I do write it in myself it's mainly because I've gathered the meaning of the word. And I don't do sentences. But Zero does. But that's Zero. So... yess... Uh... Well, me and Zero are brainstorming that topic at the moment. We'll see. Glad you like my story though!

**Bloodcherry: **XDD! I'm still feeling fuzzy about being sung to in spanish. I will remember this! Admit it, you love my cliffhangers. Plus, they're the only things that keep you coming back for the next chapters. Speaking of cliffhangers, how'd you like this one?

**RikuLover211: **Chin ups? Nope, I hate them too... XD! In all honesty, I know nothing about Tales. Nothing at all. Except, like, one battle song from it. 'Tis pretty hardcore. I didn't even do a quick catch-up job on it. Probably should've. Nope, Zero wrote it in. Because he's awesome. ...chin ups... pfft... XDD!

**Ace31592: **nah, don't worry. I had a lot of homework too. I just don't do it. XP. Oh, no, Arranathia's one of those gloomy places in the back of my mind. Now, if only I'd come up with a better name for it....

**kingdomheartsgirl1770: **:) Nice to think you know so... No, no, wait... Nice to know you THINK so! THERE WE GO! I had a bit of annoyingness with Riku's character. I do my best. Oh really? Yes, yes, that's because of the angst. In all my work. It's always there. It might be one tiny sentence, but I can guarantee you it's there. I'm an angsty hopeless romantic. It's a wonderful combination. Hope you liked the chapter?

**HesitantPen13: **lol. Ally and Riku is semi-definite. At the moment. I'm aiming to finish the story before breaking into forties. So it MIGHT be definite before the end of the story. I might leave you hanging, you never know. I still don't know. Yeah, making them argue kind of just... worked? I know my update time is ridiculous. I'm not denying this. I fully admit it. My update time is ridiculous, there you go. I do my best, I just feel lame right about now. I'm having a bit of a hard time doing ANYTHING, so it's not just my fics, I've got exams next week, and... yeahhh... ANYWAY! I'm an extremely ungrateful reviewer if that's you're definition. I review guite a lot of people. And for every single one, I tell them to update soon. Every chapter. Sometimes several times. You should see my reviews, they're insane.

**Wer American Malai: **did you actually change your name again, or is my computer just being a dick? You leave chasing fireflies alone. It's SIGNIFICANT! RockCityRoadStar was spur of the moment. And I've always suucked with titles anyway. So nyeahhh.... Well, yeah, Brisingr was crap. We spent weeks ripping it off. It's not until you get into Fanfiction and start seeing all the stuff about mary sues and canon couples and insanely bare plotlines that you get to realise just how amateur Christopher Paolini really is as a writer. Although, everyone already knew that there's a talent to rambling and from his (millions of!) filler chapters, he clearly doesn't have it. He spends too long decriving every insignificant detail. It just gets boring... but no, I'm not going to update it. Too bad. :)

**Krystal Lily Potter: **repeat buttons. Of course you do. -.- I don't blame you for being confused at my story. I'm confused at everything. I live in a constant state of confusion. My friends say that's bad, but it works for me, y'know? XD. Can't have an interesting Riku relationship without SOMEONE being jealous (although, with the way your story's going, you already know that, lol... kill Emi. Really. Just kill her.). I just decided that for once it was going to be RIKU who was jealous. I agree. Organization members don't count. They aren't real. I already said so. :P Well, I get angry, get made fun of for getting angry, and then I get angry at being made fun of for being angry. Hence anger issues. It doesn't stop. Dumbass. Yep. And it still helps me sleep at night that you guys know I am. Blow up my brain? What brain? Eyyeh. Well, I'll remind you again, I didn't write the last chapter (so pfft). But yeah, I'll work on main characterism. Yes. Ah, but you see, my Ally would kill your Emiliana. That's the difference between Ally and Midi. While they're both spunky, and they both come off as passive oftentimes, Ally's... well... Ally's a lot easier to piss off beyond recognition. I think you may be contending for my review length thing. Maybe. XDDD!

**Katie: **Ehhe. I confuse a lot of people. I confuse myself sometimes. It's a talent. :)

**TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran: **XD. Sora is now out of his little funk, happy? Maaaaaaayybbe... Yeah, I'm looking forward to the release as well. If they go "nah, it's only on PS3" at the last minute, they will find out the real meaning of 'pissed off'. :P Nyeahhh... I'm not one to follow through with things you know. So publishing would be a little too high for my current ambition.

**Zeromaru Chaos Mode:** Well, I'm aiming for three or four chapters more in mine. Which means they might be super long. Maybe. Either that ir it will spill over into the forties, and I don't really want that to happen. Reckon I can pull it off? Oh, no, the Japanese teacher isn't Asian. She IS a bitch, though. But yeah, her ninjaing scared the shit out of me. I read Green Eyes, Browncoat. 'Twas very, very good. And very, very funny. I believe it is now on my favourites. :) Never played the game. I just like bombarding my characters with annoying problem after annoying problem. It's how I get by. Yeah, but you know, you have the habit of making everything you say sound perverted, I'm kind of used to it by now. For your sake, if not my own, I'm going to think of it as a reference to your ego. Again. Because, you know, your ego seems to come up a lot. XD.

**Eclipsee.: **Glad you like it. Must say, the second I saw your name I thought 'Twilight'. Twilight is good. Twilight = rate awesome.

Can't _believe _none of you guessed who was going to die. Guess those cookies are all mine then, huh? Yeah, yeah, I know, update soon, I get it... But really, don't hold your breath.

XD

'Till next time duckies (although I would be stealing your attention for longer if my sister weren't always such a total bitch. -.-)


	36. That's What You Get

Disclaimer: y'know what? Screw it!

* * *

**Chapter 36 (Happy New Years! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BoT FOR TODAY!)**

_Is there anybody out there  
__That wakes up with a bitter taste  
__It's a king that we put up there  
__And he's a short way to fall from grace_

_---_

"Kairi, you're going to have to get up."

She turned in the sheets to meet his eyes with a confused expression on her face. Only an hour ago Sora had been practically buzzing, subsequently disregarding his short past of utter blankness.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly, eyes scanning over his troubled expression and the grim look in his eyes.

"The king," was his simply reply, words grim, even as he sat on the edge of the bed and moved his hand to tuck her fringe behind her ears. "Christian's here."

_---_

_It's slowly filling upward  
__You can stand but you have no ground  
__I hear it from the lost words  
__They say it's time that you lost your crown_

_---_

"We have no reception with Disney Castle," Donald announced solemnly, following all eyes to the man sleeping on the couch, trying valiantly to pull himself back together. "It's all static. We were trying on Arranathia. When it didn't make the connection we figured it was just because Arranathia was at a stand still. It's not so."

"It wasn't supposed to be," Sora growled simply. Donald turned to look at him curiously, seeing the boy's glare fixed solidly on Christian, even while he was in no way glaring at the older man.

"Sora?"

"I screwed up," was the quiet reply. "Andre told me. Rather simply, too. Vasaar believes the weakest part of an army is the one leading it, he said." Sora gritted his teeth. "I could've stopped it. I _should_'ve stopped it."

"_Mickey Mouse_ was never _weak_, Sora," Ally said quietly, the same deathly tone in her voice as had been noted in his. "And you're a _fool_ if you ever thought so."

"Haven't we already established that?" he shot back quickly. She glared at him.

"Do you _want _me to smack you upside the head, Mister Sora?" she threatened briefly. "Because I _guarantee _that you won't get back up again for some time. I'd rather not do this all alone." She froze at Riku's hand on her arm, turning to scowl resignedly at him while Sora ground his teeth.

"We've set course for Disney Castle."

"You're not going to find _shit _at DC and you know it!" Ally shouted roughly, turning to glare at the duck angrily. "What you _should_ be doing is setting course for Hollow Bastion, 'cause all the ugly buggers wind up there sooner or later!"

Donald blinked, surprised at being snapped at while Sora rounded on the black-haired girl again.

"You _knew_!?" he exclaimed. "You _knew _they were there! You knew Vasaar was going to kill the king! You knew we'd find him there!" He paused for a second. "Of course you bloody _knew he'd be there!!! _You were _with him _before you _came here_!"

There was an abrupt silence after the words left his mouth. She turned to him with a look that, he figured, if looks could kill, he'd be dead many times over and in hundreds of horrible different ways. He had the brief implication that he'd possibly gone too far before she spoke, and her voice was so low and lifeless that he was struggling to distinguish words.

"What are you implying, _sir_?"

"That's enough, Ally." And then Christian was awake again.

_---_

_Is there anybody out there  
That can see what a man can change  
It's better that you don't care  
Because he knows that he's in his stage_

---

"You're a two-faced traitor!"

"You're a stupid bastard!"

"You're both being children!" came Christian's booming vocals, stunning them all again as he raised his voice for the first time. "I know you're paranoid, I know you're mourning, I know you're angry, but shut the hell up and listen, both of you!"

They both turned to stare at him angrily, earning no more than a fuming glare as he sat up. Pointing first at Sora, then at Ally.

"It isn't your fault, and it sure as hell isn't hers, so stop bitching and moaning about what a shitty hand life's given you and get off your ass and do something about it," he said roughly. "And Ally! For god's sake, you're five-thousand years old! Grow up!"

"Not my fault he went into friggin' hibernation," she muttered darkly, averting her eyes to the floor.

"Ally!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

"Didn't Zero ever tell you to calm down a bit?" Christian asked loudly, glaring at his sister simply. She frowned.

"No," she replied quaintly. "He told me to be as loud and obnoxious as inhumanly possible."

"Figures," Christian grumbled quietly. "Fine then, Ash, I guess I'm going to have to do your job for you. Gather 'round, piggies!" he ordered, glancing at the crew darkly and pointing to the ground in front of him. "Sit the fudge down and shut the heck up. We've got some clearing up to do."

---

_I feel the paranoia.  
When there's a time, put you in your place  
In the eyes of those who watch you  
Well they can wait 'til you hit your face_

---

Sora, Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Axel, and Ally, all sitting on the cold metal floor and staring dully at Christian as he sat up on the couch and treated them like kindergarteners.

"Vasaar's a dick, we know this," he said slowly. "You're all gonna go off blamin' each other now and fighting like a pack of stupid rats until Ally gets angry and pokes out everyone's eyes with her staff." Several eyes turned to the black haired girl, only to see her wince slightly and mutter a 'darn it, how'd he know' under her breath. "That's what Vasaar wants, you stupid lot of dumbasses!"

"Why thank you, Christian, for being so supportive and reassuring," Ally grumbled, earning a short glare for her flat tone. "Any other words of wisdom prepared to lower our self-esteem and crush all our ambitions?"

"Shut up, Ally," Sora growled quietly.

"Oh, yeah, 'cause I should so listen to you, you emo fuzzbag," she retorted quickly. "Uh… How 'bout no?"

"That's enough, you two," Christian said coldly, earning a slightly sad look from Ally while Sora glared at him.

"No, you know what?" he started loudly. "No. That's not enough. You're both lying two-faced traitor scum."

"This coming from the kid who let Andre go," Ally laughed sarcastically. "Twice, nonetheless. Wonderful. Absolutely fantastic."

"For a good reason," Sora growled.

"So you could get a girlfriend? Yeah. Great. But doom the rest of us, why don't you…"

"So what, Ally? You could've killed him long before you met us! You could've killed Vasaar long before you came here! Then none of this would have happened. You've just been using us from the start!"

Ally stared at him for a moment while everyone else turned to look at her, half-expecting, half-questioning. "I'd generally say you'd have a point, Mister Sora," she replied coldly. "But in the end, I'd be lying. Because you have no idea what you're talking about." There was a simultaneous blink before Christian spoke up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, back it up," he said simply. "We're getting a little ahead of ourselves here, Ally." She turned back to him, opening her mouth to reply only to have him hold up a hand to silence her. "No. No more comments from you unless they're explaining things. You either, Sora. Or I will take drastic measures." Ally opened her mouth again. "Don't make me get the duct tape," he threatened. Her lips snapped shut and she resorted to a crossing her arms and fuming silently.

"Yeah, Sora, we've been using you from the very beginning," Christian continued quietly, closing his eyes. "But not in the way you think."

"I spent five thousand years being a lifeless zombie. It wasn't great. It wasn't even like I felt anything. But I learnt a lot," was Christian's quiet voice. "When you just watch, you don't take part in anything, you're bound to. I saw the worlds change, people die. I saw the normal cycles, I saw the weird ones, I saw things words can't describe."

"And for god's sake, I'm bloody sick of it. I'm sick of knowing all the answers, and following all the patterns, so from the very beginning, Sora, I was moving you like the pawn you've always been." Sora stared, alarmed. "From the start of everything, it was me who was pulling all the strings." Ally looked up to him with renewed interest, and he gave her a small smile. "Andre wasn't the only puppetmaster in the family," he explained simply. "But that doesn't mean this was all supposed to happen. The king wasn't supposed to die."

"Mary-sue," Ally murmured suddenly, eyes sparking with a dawning thought. Christian stared at her curiously for a moment, forgetting he'd been interrupted. "Mary-sue," she said again, a grin breaking across her face. "Mickey's Mary-sue! Sora's Mary-sue! I'm surrounded by Mary-sues! We can't lose!"

And with an evil laugh she hopped up and ran out of the common room, leaving them all staring after her in shock while Christian rubbed his forehead with his fingers and grinned to himself, catching the underlying meaning. Then he laughed quietly and shook his head, looking back up to meet six pairs of questioning eyes.

"Ignore that," he said simply, noting that they all nodded in return, allowing him to continue his story. "Ally's just discovered her only future hope. It'll pass."

"Right…" Kairi murmured stiffly, glancing to the door warily. "You sure I shouldn't…?"

"No, leave her, she'll only confuse you. We've already got enough confusion here, I think, and I'm supposed to be fixing that…" he trailed off for a moment to catch his thoughts.

"You're using us all," Riku reminded simply, earning a small nod and a smile.

"Ah, thank you, that's right," he said. "So we've established that I've been using you all, and Ally was merely my means of doing so," he stated.

"No," Donald started slowly. "We hadn't established that, actually."

"We hadn't?"

"No."

"Well… now we have!" he exclaimed happily. "Andre was my way of getting to Vasaar, Ally was my way of getting to you."

"And Andre's your…?" Goofy asked encouragingly, happy to have his input. Christian's eyes dulled slightly while he remembered memorized words.

"Mum's, aunt's, second-cousin-twice-removed's, son's, daughter's little boy," he shot off quickly. "Although, for formal occasions the title was normally just 'cousin'. It was easier to remember at the time."

"So you, Andre, and Ally are all related?"

"And everyone else, yes," he stated. "There were thirteen of us. Christian, Ally, Anika, and Julian Ashley, Andre and Havek Elesario, Blair, Zeke, and Skye Alejandro, Durham, Miranda, and Hayley Temarino, and Sleven Jones."

"Jones?" Kairi scoffed quietly. Christian grinned.

"I know," he said, clearly just as humoured. "With surnames like 'Temarino', 'Elesario', and 'Alejandro' in there, he kind of got paid out a lot. Not to mention he was the only singular there. He was also the oldest."

"So you were all related?" Axel asked dully. "I thought all the chasers were made chasers because they were evil little S.O.B's back in the day and they all had to repent or somesuch…?"

"Well, yeah, we were," Christian relented slowly. "You could say it was a thing in our family. Back in the day there was a fair lot of crap going on for earth, a couple of meagre criminals and murderers, mafia and blah-de-blah-de-blah. But I'll guarantee you, if there was anyone in existence worse than the thirteen of us, I've never heard of them. Since we were all descended from some dude called Vera Sara, we kind of figured he was some kind of demon and the gene was recessive."

"Really?"

"That was the common theory. We were all basically devil spawn, and considered such. All our eyes were different from what they were supposed to be at birth. Some – like Ally's – never changed. Parents hated us, people avoided us. For that, anything good in all of us wasted away over time. No one noticed, no one cared, it was assumed. We were all the evil little devil's spawn, and if we got too bad we'd all be killed. Thing was, we were all so good at being bad that no one caught us for what we were all doing. Kept going until we died or got killed, 'cause it was all the difference. A good fifty years later we all started coming back. That's when we met Vasaar."

"So he's…"

"Roughly eight thousand years old, actually. Vasaar loved three things in eternity – data, computers, and anagrams. Special reply to unanswered question – Vera Sara, RE: Vasaar. Now, Vera Sara was one of those eccentric types – experimenting with all the magic and mystical crap back on earth. This resulted in self-mutation, eternal life, all that jazz," Christian explained solidly, pausing slightly to glance up with an unusual expression as the sound of a high pitched 'whooooooooo' seemed to go past just outside the door.

He blinked before shaking his head slightly. "So Vera Sara spent eight thousand years being eccentric and angry and evil. He became one of those 'world domination' types, always evil plotting and all. Except Vera Sara, a.k.a Vasaar, wasn't like Ansem-slash-Xemnas-slash-Xehanhort. Vasaar was patient. Very, very patient. As in eight-thousand years patient."

"You're kidding," Riku grumbled quietly. Christian fixed him with a look, so very like his sister that it made Riku blink.

"I joke, Mister Riku," he said. "But I do not 'kid'. I never kid. Vasaar's one grade-A bad guy. He knew he needed a spiral of events. From the second Ansem began researching the heartless back in the day, the worlds started their vicious downfall. Vasaar never needed Kingdom Hearts, nor did he want it. He needed Sora."

"Why'd he need me!?" Sora cut in loudly. Christian frowned.

"You have 'powers the worlds know not', apparently," Christian replied grimly. "Powers you don't even know about. But Vasaar knows. And Vasaar needs these ungodly powers to take over the worlds and kill everyone on the outer worlds."

"…What? If he wants world domination, why's he only keeping the Core?"

"Vasaar reckons that it's easier to rule if there's less to keep an eye on. He's getting too old to do everything on his own, he just won't accept it."

"Immortal's a matter of perspective," Riku echoed quietly. Christian nodded.

"No one lives forever," he said. "Immortality's a joke. Vasaar's lived for eight millennia now – the rest of us between five thousand and seven thousand years old. But while we remake ourselves every time we… I guess you could say, recycle, Vasaar never has. He's never… not had physical being since his birth. Thing is, he thinks he doesn't age. He does, just slowly. So he doesn't know that he's not as strong as he used to be. He just sticks to the plans. He intends to turn you, to control you, Sora, and use you to kill everyone."

"That's insanity."

"Feh. That's jerk-facery," Christian replied dully. "But he didn't count on a couple of things. He didn't count on your stubbornness, or your determination not to be his puppet. He didn't count on Kairi, your light, your control – you were lucky that you grew up with her, or you would have been rather… formulaic, I guess, when it came to this. And Vasaar didn't count on one last thing."

"You?"

"No," he said. "Ally. He didn't count on Ally being so damned persistent. She was always inspired to be different – always. It didn't matter that she couldn't kill him, that he could destroy any one of us at a moment's notice, or that there were so many ways she could fail. She just didn't want to be another pack member. And she didn't want to be alone. So, she started rubbing off on the rest of us. Inspired the most bitter uprising I've ever heard of. Six chasers stayed mindless. Andre and me made a smooth transition, Andre just didn't hide it. Anika stopped being so mechanic. She buggered off to some place on the outer rim, lost contact about three hundred years ago."

"What about the others?"

"Hayley went mad with the pressure – half sane, half uncaring. She imploded four hundred years back. We don't think she ever respawned," Christian explained quietly, brow furrowed in memory. "Blair and Sleven never made it entirely. They just sit in their rooms battling themselves. One half of each of them is telling them not to think, or care, or anything. The other half is telling them to be independent. They have days where they can speak with you, have conversations. And they have days where they're completely unresponsive."

"Zeke and Durham are dead now," he continued thoughtfully. "So that brings the chasers down to eleven. Plus Anika's disappearance and Hayley's self-destruction, and you're down to nine. And me and Ally don't count, because we're on your side. Seven. That's all there is left. Seven. Five if you're lucky."

"We aren't known for our luck," Sora replied dully, only to have Christian break out in a violent coughing fit that may or may not have been fake, that sounded suspiciously as though the words 'main character's luck' were strung throughout it. "But either way doesn't explain-"

"Why me and Ally didn't kill him?" Christian asked in reply. "Simple. We couldn't."

"What," Sora started sarcastically, "'cause it'd ruin your track record!?" Christian blinked.

"Nope."

"Then why?"

"Because, in the end, there is only so much a person can truly do against someone who's stronger than them."

---

_Paint yourself a picture  
When you waste another picture  
And you win, and you win, and you win_

---

"Hollow Bastion, three days, get your ass there!"

"Why? That where Vassy is?" came Roxas's semi-static reply. Ally grinned at the screen slightly.

"Nope," she said. "But it's how we get there."

"…Sora know what's happening yet? And about the king?"

"Nah – we both know he's not smart enough to figure it all out himself. And I don't have the time, nor the patience, to go through every little detail with him."

"So he's… totally oblivious, basically?"

"…Yeah, pretty much."

"…Good for him."

"Nothing like blundering through," Ally replied with a shrug. "But we're giving him a crash course in Ancient History, so he should be good." Roxas smiled, nodded, and gave her a small 'see you soon' before the line disconnected. Ally turned to skip back down the hall happily, making her way back to the common room at a reasonable pace. The doors opened for her, allowing her to hear a snippet of the conversation.

"…someone who's stronger than them."

Her eyes widened and she turned on the spot to leave again.

"Freeze, Ally," Riku said quietly, and she winced, coming to a stop and turning around slowly to look at him. Her accusing glare was lost on him as he pointed at the ground beside him simply and she slumped visibly before slouching over to sit next to him.

"What do you mean, not strong enough?" Sora was asking loudly, as Ally dropped grudgingly to the floor and Riku stuck a hand on her shoulder. She glared at the floor. "You two are possibly the strongest people I know, and now you're telling me-"

"Ever considered that you've overestimated our abilities, you stupid prick," Ally grumbled loudly, and he turned his gaze to her, positively livid. Riku chuckled slightly, patting her on the shoulder reassuringly. "The fact that we have the power doesn't mean we can use it. In fact, I'm pretty sure we don't even have it anymore."

Christian nodded slightly, and Sora opened his mouth to reply. She cut him off, continuing in her grudging tone.

"Zero said that even though we get more power throughout our lives, and we're never supposed to lose it, it drains steadily in the time we're… non-existent. So in the long run, we only gain little bits every life," she stated blankly. "Because we die, because we have a never ending supply of second chances, we lose our strengths. Not enough to leave us hopeless, not enough to stop us from being stronger, no. But enough that it takes a very long time to be strong enough. And when the man you're trying to kill holds your self-destruct button, you need to be strong enough."

"So it's not… about you having to go another time around if you kill him? It's not about having a clean slate… or soul… or whatever?" Sora asked quietly, and she smirked weakly.

"When you've gone through seventy-three lifetimes already, what's another one to add to the tally?" was her quiet reply, and the bluntness of the words almost stung. Riku patted her on the shoulder again. She grimaced. "Not afraid for myself, Mister Sora – not to say I _want_ to spend an eternity in nothingness or limbo, because I don't. Sincerely. I'm afraid for all the people he wants to use or kill or rule - because, in the end, they're all going to die because of him anyway. And I'm afraid for my family, 'cause Vas has got all our numbers."

"If he's got your self destruct buttons, why hasn't he hit 'em yet?"

"Because he thinks she'll come back to his side," Christian replied tiredly. "Ever the optimist, our sixth great-grandfather."

"And you?"

"He doesn't know where I am," Christian replied with a shrug. "He's strong, yeah, demonically so. But when it comes to spying and locations he relies far too much on technology. He thinks I went out for a mission with Andre, and I got lost somewhere."

"And Andre didn't tell him otherwise?"

"Andre is far more loyal than you think," were Christian's simple words in reply. He turned to Ally again. "Have you called Roxas?" She nodded. "The others will meet us in Hollow Bastion."

"Anika?"

"I tried. I couldn't find her," he said.

"Should've googled her," Ally noted dryly. "With pop's computer."

"I did. All I got was static and a Christmas E-card."

Ally snorted. "Sounds like Anika. But it's the thought that counts. Christmas Eve today, right?" she asked, and Christian sighed the acknowledgement. "Wow. Crappy year." There was a silence that branch out from her statement, and then Sora spoke.

"So that's it? That's what we're going in with?" he asked. "Forgive me if I'm sceptical, but a couple of people, some crazy magical weapons, and two chasers that could explode any minute the evil guy so chooses doesn't really seem like the best battle plan to me." Both chasers turned their eyes to him, fixing him with the same blank look and then exchanging a glance. The siblings, both on the same wavelength, so in sync that it was daunting, sighed slightly before answering together.

"No one said you have to come."

And with that, Ally was on her feet again, out the door in moments, and Christian was laying down on the couch again, rolling over to face away from them all, and dragging his blanket over him, a simple gesture for the rest of them.

There would be no more discussion tonight

---

_Don't be so greedy  
A dollar's a penny to you  
When hearts stop beating  
Say what you want 'em to do_

---

There were few on the Gummi ship that didn't sleep fitfully the first night, if they slept at all. The ship was full of dark rooms, strangled sheets, and nightmares. Riku, however, slept soundly, perfectly at ease with the screwed up situation and the slight contradictory nagging in the back of his mind.

Of course, the comforting clutches of his dreamless slumber only lasted for as long as the silence around his room. He woke up the moment voices sounded in the hallway outside his room. Then he lay in the darkness, staring at his roof, listening to the conversation boredly.

"You do realise you're relying on a fabled technicality, right?" It only took moments for it to register in Riku's waking mind that it was Christian's voice, followed then by Ally's.

"It's not fabled."

"It's _coal_."

"Thank you, mister x-ray-spex, I highly value your sceptical opinion."

Riku frowned, unable to figure out exactly what they were talking about, let alone whether it was important. Sometimes keeping up with the chaser girl was difficult, but without the visual it was nigh on impossible.

"I'm _telling_ you, it's coal."

"And _I'm _telling you it's five-twenty-three on Christmas Day, and I'm not tired, I'm not hungry, and no one in their right mind would give me coal, even if they _were_ invincible."

"Go on then, prove me wrong."

"…No."

"Why the hell not?" There was a pause.

"…Well… I'm kind of afraid…"

"So you do doubt it. You know you're full of whimsical thoughts and fictions."

"Well, technically, seeing as how I was given permission to take it, so it wasn't exactly stealing…"

"Doesn't matter," was the curt reply. "It means you've already got one this year, so if this isn't coal, it's going to be a knock off."

"Yeah?"

"Yep."

"…Screw you. I am allowed to get more than one every year. Other people do."

"Yes, but you're not oth-" Christian's retort was cut off by Riku's door opening. The silver haired boy moved out to squint against the lights in their general direction. "Oh, hello Riku," Christian said quickly, then returned to the conversation. "You're not other people, Ally, and you don't get more than one every year. You never have."

"…Have you?"

"No," was the simple reply. "I've gotten one every year, and no more."

"…Then why were there two at the end of the couch this morning?"

"There were?"

"Yep."

"…Oh!" Christian answered slowly. He stood there for a minute, looking at his little sister, and then he turned and wandered back down the hall quickly, clearly on a mission. Riku blinked, turning his eyes to Ally.

She was slumped against the wall, staring a black box in her hand, tied with a purple ribbon. A part hopeless, part thoughtful look in her eyes had him curious, but he figured the entire previous conversation was centred on the box in her hands.

"Something wrong, Ally-chan?" he asked quietly, and she sighed.

"I'm wondering what this is," she replied, lifting the box up idly as she did so. Riku frowned. "I kind of stole my Christmas present when we were in Christmas Town. With permission. Sorta," she explained sketchily. She winced. "That was months ago. It feels like weeks, but it was months. It's been too long. I shouldn't've let you all go to the slowed down worlds, or the ones that'd stopped. I've dragged you all away from your homes, and now it'll be more than just difficult to fit back in. I shouldn't have done it."

There was a short silence while she stared at the box and he stared at her.

"He's right. It's going to be coal."

Riku blinked. "It wasn't home," he said, blinking as the words came out of his mouth. He frowned, brow furrowed as he questioned where the words came from. She barely moved too look at him, watching from the corners of her eyes.

"Liar."

And he shook his head, moving closer and leaning against the wall beside her. "No, I mean it… I _think_. It wasn't home. Not really." He paused and took a breath. "Didn't feel so much like it, anyway. It was hard to fit back in, harder to stay there. Because, after everything else, it was really just boring. And the people were so… well… it's hard to stay with people who can only ever look at you with pity…"

"…So you don't… resent me or anything?"

"Not at all," he replied genuinely, and she glanced at him thoughtfully. "But don't mention it to Sora, he's a bit…"

"…Duly noted," she sighed quietly, and he frowned slightly. She twirled the box slowly in her fingers, staring at the purple ribbon thoughtfully.

"Sam told him, when we went to see him," Riku noted after some time, "that whatever happened now was up to us. Or him. One of the two. Then they had this one sided conversation of Sam's queries and Sora's silent answers. Like 'what can you see of your future' and 'really, honestly, is that what you're destined to be'. Then they had this mini-battle, that Sam totally pwned when he went all semi-shadow and kicked Sora's ass, whereupon he used my favourite line of the day 'what you can suppress, you'll never be free of, you can only learn to control – show me what you're made of, little nephew'."

"Sounds like typical Sam."

"Really?"

"Totally."

There was a pause. "…I thought he sounded kind of like you, actually…"

"Oh really?"

He merely smiled in reply. "Then he said that we were, most likely, going to find a big, totally unimportant surprise in our future."

"Far future?"

"Decidedly near, actually. I think it's come and gone. And I've decided to take his word for it and ignore the impact entirely, and act as if nothing happened. Because something about his words made a great deal of sense to me."

"And what was that, Mister Riku?"

"He said that in a world of Mary Sues, Gary Stus, and main characters' Legion, we take far too much too seriously."

"…That's weird."

"Funny, I thought that would've made sense to you."

"Oh, no, _that's_ not weird. That making sense to _you_ is weird."

"…Touché." They fell into silence for several more minutes while she continued to stare at the box in her hands and he turned to stare at her. "…Are you actually going to open that?" he asked eventually, and she turned to look at him.

"Was thinkin' about it."

"That all?" he asked quietly, and then he took the box from her hands and pulled curiously at the purple ribbon. He was about to lift the lid when she put her hand over his, and he looked up to meet her hesitant gaze.

"What if it is coal?" she asked quietly, and he stared at her for a moment before replying in the most 'well no duh'-ish tone she'd ever heard him use.

"Then you throw it at Sora at breakfast." She smiled, and moved her hand for a moment, allowing him to open the small box and tip the contents out into his hand. He frowned for a moment. "It's a keychain," he said dully, turning to see her reaction. But her eyes were brightening quickly as she took the small red and white candy-cane looking thing from his hand. She grinned and shook her head at his query.

"No," she said, and he couldn't doubt the tone in her voice. "Better."

---

_Wasting away... I see you  
When the top of the world falls on you  
Finding a day, don't wanna be you  
When the top of the world falls on you_

**---**

"_No sir, well I don't wanna be the blame, not anymore._ _It's your turn, so take a seat we're settling the final score, and why do we like to hurt so much?_"

"Why are you _singing_?" Sora asked angrily, seeming to go ignored by the chaser girl.

"_I can't decide. You have made it harder just to go on, and why, all the possibilities where I was wrong_…"

"Al-"

"It's her way of relieving tension, Sora," came Christian's not-quite-harsh reply. "She does it when she's nervous, or on the odd times she's afraid. It's an odd method, maybe, but it helps."

"Kind of self absorbed, if you ask me," Sora muttered grudgingly, glancing around the quiet streets of Hollow-Bastion-also-known-as-Radiant-Gardens. He received a scathing glare from Christian.

"No one asked," he noted dryly, and Sora recoiled slightly at the tone. Kairi watched him, frowning at his attitude but not speaking out about it. Riku brushed past him quickly, moving to stand beside Ally on the other side of the once-again-rebuilt Bailey while she looked out over the barren-blue-tinged plains.

"_That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa._"

"It's not the sound of her own voice that helps," he explained softly, his tone warmer as he stood beside her. "It's the steadiness of the sound, and the flow, and the smoothness of the vibration it makes. Kind of like… a new form of meditation. It's calming."

"_That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa…_"

"So what, Riku? She's still going off to war with a mad man today. We're still standing here watching her go."

"No one said you had to be here," Christian said, this time not bothering to keep the harshness out of his voice. Sora tensed up, clenching his hands into fists, turning his fierce gaze to the older man. Christian didn't even flinch. "So go. Go see your friends, go see your family, go _home_."

Sora bristled. "Fine." He turned his gaze to Riku. "Come on Kairi, Riku, let's go home."

"_I drowned out all my senses with the sound of its beating_…"

And he turned to walk away, down to see Leon, get on the Gummi ship, and leave. But the absence of any footsteps joining his had him turning back to see Kairi staring at Riku's unmoving form.

"Riku, you coming?" he asked, a troubled, curious look crossing his face while Christian leaned his back against the town side of the Bailey's battlements and Ally patted Riku simply on the shoulder. Her soft voice didn't break as she sent him the silent message of 'you can go, you know', but that only made it so much more confusing to Sora.

When he turned back around to face Sora, the boy had a soft smile on his face, so reassured and confident that Sora almost took a step back. There was something – a conversation, a scene, a moment – that he'd missed. And whatever it was, it was drastic enough to have had Riku's mind made up long before that moment. The dread was simmering in the dark prince's gut before Riku answered, before Ally sung another line. Somewhere along the way, the tables had turned. Somewhere along the way, everything around all of them had changed completely.

"_And that's what you get when you let your heart win…_"

"Sora, I'm staying.

**---**

_When the top of the world falls on you._

* * *

**www **(dot)** myspace **(dot)** com **(forward-slash)** nicolehaering**

I have one song on it. You don't even have to like it, but if you have myspace, for god's sake, add me. My profile's feeling very lonely right now.

And for the record, I stayed up writing the end for this on New Years Eve/New Years morning (it is officially fifty-one minutes into 2009 for me while I write this, dudes). So that means I stayed home doing it (not that I actually would've been doing anything else, really, I have no life). So, yes, HAPPY NEW YEARS!

I went over to my Aunt's place on Christmas for brekky and lunch, which was fun (although, my cousin stacked it on a Billie cart, which was a pretty funny story, but she was bleeding everywhere). Then we went to mum's boyfriend's parent's place for dinner. Met some funny people, let me tell you. And dinner? Well, I don't think I've ever been so high on sugar. XD

The songs were 'Top of the World' by the All-American Rejects, and 'That's What You Get' by Paramore. They're great, I recommend them.

**HesitantPen13**: You, Zeromaru Chaos Mode, and Krystal Lily Potter are the only reasons this chapter was actually written. I hope you smile for that, too. Thank you for the hurry up review. It gave me drive. :)

**Sakkee**: Yep. King Mickey is, presumably, finite. And the story is almost finite, too, so it all works for me. :)

**Holly Skyla Hart**: Damn you. Damn you half to hell. You and your High School Musical. It's a horrible, horrible thing.

**kingdomheartsgirl1770**: No one guessed, actually. And now I am officially known as the mickey killer. It'd great. Every time I review my buddy, I get it in my reply. Hope you liked the chapter.

**moonlightxxdream**: ...thanks? I'm glad you like it. Although I struggle sometimes. Nah, well... Are you going to get an account, kid? Write some stuff. It takes up your spare time, and you get som pretty funny feedback. It's great. You should. XD

**Only Lotte**: I ran out of ideas. And then I was listening to the aforemention AAR song, and it kind of just popped into my head. And then, yes, I killed him. Made my day... Well, no, he wrote PART of that chapter. Not all of it. Just a fair lot of the battle scene. As my birthday present... Three months ago (or something, but still kind of sad on my part because it means I don't write enough. pfft.). I confuse everyone. Even myself. But I'm easily confused, so hn.

**AkaMizu-Chan**: you really like that word, don't you? :) Glad you liked the chapter, 'cause I made it up as I went along. Does that mean you'll refer to me as 'Mickey Killer' as well? If so, you can join ranks with Krystal Lily Potter, and I'll smile every time you say it.

**Krystal Lily Potter**: Expect your oneshot sometime next week, maybe, or I'll forget to post it in time for your birthday, and it'll laze around my mum's hard drive for a couple of months until I look at it again and go 'hey, wait, that was Kaylee's!' I never watched that. The Twilight Zone. Angel, Buffy, Supernatural, the occasional X-Files (my mum likes watching it on the sci-fi channel before I go to school sometimes, and it's lame). I was up on New Years Day (I don't know why I went to bed. I wasn't tired, not at all. I should've pulled an all nighter and just watched TV all night.) watching Ben 10 at 2 in the morning. My chapter was already done. Funny, that it was New Years Something, but there was NOTHING on TV at all. Stupid television. Ally's just not the fangirl type. She's more... uh... no, that's a difficult one. She's more 'I like living in denial'...? Yeah, you said white screen of doom. And I asked, and you said I could steal it, so I did. Hot chocolate ftw. I WILL PUT THE BROOMS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! ...You might have to remind me to, though. Eh. Maybe if you read it again, you'd figure it out. I apparently CAN stick really subtle hints into my story, that I think are bloomin' obvious, but no one else picks up on. That is a curse that should be thrown upon NO ONE. NO ONE!!! Yeah, I am, so kill Emi. And THAT... is good to know. If someone COULD beat my reviews, I would have some serious work to do. O.O ...What? ...They ate my sea urchins? ...NO! NOOOOOOOO!

**Bloodcherry**: Without Zero, I would have bombed out AGES ago. But I'm glad you liked it, because last chapter, for the first time ever, I got a flame! Or a semi-flame, anyway. But it was still flamey, and it gave me some serious story-related self-esteem issues. I wasn't a happy Peafy, to put it simply. I HAVE SEEN THE TWILIGHT MOVIE FOUR TIMES! ...and I'm lining up for a fifth, in technicality. It was good. I didn't really like their casting for Bella - she was too... well... emo, could work, I guess. And Edward (I mean, Rob Pattison!? He's just so... unattractive in my opinion. Nah well. At least he has an emotional range. Unlike Kristen Stewart. Ahha).

**Zeromaru Chaos Mode**: Yeah, well, it worked for me, so nyeah. Yeah, I had to come up with a way to keep Carnivic... existent, I guess, considering I promised Josh that I would. Even if he IS a two-faced, lying prick, I keep my promises. I'm going to make him pay one day. He won't even see it coming. Public humiliation, here Joshua comes... No, no Sora got his... SOMETHING back, anyway. Hn. Everyone has an ego, Miles, some are just considerably bigger than others. Like me. When it comes to my writing I have quite a big ego. At school anyway. And, if I do say so myself, I write some pretty damn good speeches, as well. I'm just not so great with the speaking part of it. Because I don't like the whole 'standing in front of a lot of people' thing. Of course, the fact that I slur all my words and APPARENTLY sound like I'm drunk all the time (not that I've ever actually BEEN drunk. Or had more than a sip of my parent's drinks on special occasions, back in the day). I don't know where Black Angus is. Or what it is. Some part of me says it's where you work, but MY NAME IS NOT PEACHES! PEAFUS! **PEAFUS!!!!**

**TheKeybladeWar's-Veteran**: Havek has been mentioned! Whether or not he makes an appearance it still being thought over. :)

**Syrena Li**: XD. I did kill him, yes. Perhaps not so naive, mate. Crying? Really? Wow. That's a new reaction. :)

**MrMaster**: Nah, it's okay. Like your new place then? Wish I could move out, but I'm fifteen. Living at home sucks. Yeah, I meant the Dark Knight. Heath Ledger did his role very well, yeah. He pulled off insanity very, very well. It was cool. I played it, but then I got to this bit that I couldn't do, and then I died. And died, and died, and... AND THEN! ...I gave up. It was great. Why is it the communist's fault that Mickey died? I will take that into account if I rewrite this. But I probably won't, you know. I'm going into year 10 at school, and I'm about to have less free time, apparently. Exemplary. I like that word. Exemplary. It's pretty darn cool. XD!

'Till next time, duckies.


	37. Big Portal Thing

Disclaimer: BoT was officially a year old last chapter. I must update REALLY slow…

--

**Chapter 37**

"You're… _what_?!"

"Staying, Sora," was the calm reply. "I'm staying. I'm not going to leave when I'm needed, especially not just to go back to Destiny Islands. Not now."

"…But… your _friends_? Your parents? Come on, Riku! We spent years before trying to get back there. Then, trying to _protect _there. And now you won't come? For some _girl_?"

And instead of taking offence, or shouting back a response, he merely shrugged and replied in the same calm, content tone.

"You'd do the same for Kairi," he said.

"But you… you _can't_!" Sora argued loudly. "You _can't _do this Riku."

"It's my choice."

"You could _die_, Riku, and you'll never get home."

"It stopped being home to me years ago," Riku replied simply with another small shrug, and Sora stared, almost gaping.

"But you… I… how…?"

"Didn't you notice when we got back last time, Sora? The islands just weren't big enough anymore. It felt smaller, emptier, darker. No amount of sun or sand or fun play could change that. And the _pity_," he commented, and his tone twisted on the last word, something not angry or sad, but sick. "Everywhere, from everyone. I didn't want it, Sora. I just got… tired, I suppose."

There was a silence while they stood there for a minute, Riku content, Sora shocked, and the others not really caring. Ally took Riku's hand idly, and their fingers intertwined as she encouraged him silently. He smiled.

"Fact is, Sora, I've had a hole in my heart for three years, since I jumped into the darkness," he explained roughly. "And it's only just started to heal. I'm not giving that up- not for school days, and waking up still tired, and the same old things. Not now."

"Can't we even discuss this?"

"It's already been discussed."

There was silence, mostly taking in Riku's win over Sora's standoffish opinion. They stared at each other for some time, and then Sora sighed.

"And that's what you're choosing, is it?"

"Yes."

"…You do realise what a god-awful position that puts me in, don't you?"

"What position that puts you in is completely up to you, Sora, not me," Riku replied. "And what you choose to do, whatever happens now, is up to you."

"…That's what Sam said."

"He's a very wise man," Riku replied slowly. "Perhaps you should've listened to him."

"He was talking about 'mary sues' and 'main characters' luck – all total nonsense – like it was the most common, obvious thing in the world! How is that _wise_!?"

"Because it _is _the most obvious thing in the world - when you're _not_ a Mary Sue or sorely victimised by main character's luck," Christian answered dryly. Ally was humming to herself now. Kairi sighed loudly, moving to sit on the wall herself and kicking her legs boredly. Sora pulled a face at all of it.

"And now you, Kairi?"

"Think about it, Sora," was her quiet reply as she shrugged at him, and those four words were enough to have his face contorted in surprise. Discontent, they thought. He was just being ridiculous.

"Please tell me you're all kidding."

His reply was only silence, filled solely with Ally's humming. After several minutes of his disbelieving silence, their bored one, Christian spoke up curiously.

"How long have we got?"

Ally cocked her head to the side, singing gone, humming gone. "Hours," she said simply. "Only hours. Then we go."

Then there was total silence.

---

Somewhere in the last hour they'd all wandered down to Cid's place, staring up at the computer screen while it displayed a camera feed of all the different sections of Radiant Garden. The whole gang walked in, one after the other, over time, and then they were followed by shocking others.

"Minnie? Daisy?" Donald asked loudly after they entered the small house. Donald and Goofy had gone straight there after landing, joined by Sora, Kairi, Riku, Ally, and Christian. When the Queen and Daisy had forwarded through the door, though, all that any of them had to answer with, minus Ally and Christian, was complete and utter shock.

Daisy ran straight to Donald, threw herself into his arms, and Minnie Mouse took a seat in front of the computer and watched the screen stonily.

"All the kids are with Scrooge," Daisy said quickly. "All of them – even PJ and Max. The King told us all to leave the castle as soon as…" But she didn't seem to be able to finish the sentence. Then the Disney Castle brooms came waltzing briefly into the room, only to dump a small wooden chest at Ally's feet. She nodded thanks at them after a moment before crossing her arms and staring at the chest silently, a wry smile crossing her lips.

She gave the brooms a short salute before they swept off to clean the small house. Riku caught her gaze and she merely winked at him, picking up the chest only a moment before Minnie made a small sound at the computer.

"What is it?" was the simultaneous question – several voices asking at the same time. The queen stared at the screen for several minutes in silence.

"There is a man," she said eventually. Ally and Riku made their way over to the giant computer, staring at the same digital feed that Minnie was. After a moment Ally offloaded the small trunk in her hands to Riku, barely looking at him to do so. Most were surprised when he didn't utter a sound of complaint, and instead carried it quietly.

"What's he doing?" Sora asked, his tone still grudging. He was undecided on what he was going to do, and Kairi had settled with a full foot of empty space between the two of them at any given time. Everyone could tell there was something wrong with him at that moment.

"Just standing there," Minnie said dully. "I can't see his face. He's wearing something similar to an Organization cloak."

"Just less femininely figure-fitting," Ally commented. "Their cloaks were so tight that their outlining made them look like girls. It was disturbing."

"Quite," Riku said, and she pursed her lips in a way that suggested she was holding back a laugh. "…What?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Riku-kun," she started quietly, glancing at him over Minnie's head. "You were caught wearing one of those cloaks at one point or another." He shrugged.

"It was a fashion statement, not a death wish."

"…I bet the rest of them thought so too," she replied, and he chuckled. They both returned their attention to the cloaked man on the screen. He was hanging out somewhere in the centre square, near the shops. Ally frowned. "He's too tall to be Roxas."

They stared at the figure for several minutes. As if he knew they were watching, his hooded head moved, looking up to the supposedly hidden camera. All they heard was a quick intake of breath from Ally, and then she was switching between searching frantically through her pockets and poking a random spot on her collarbone. She froze after a moment, then exchanged a look with Riku.

He blinked and she grinned sheepishly, gesturing towards the door.

"Do you mind?" He blinked again and nodded.

"Not at all," he said. Then they both started off towards the door.

"Ally?" the queen called after her. She glanced around quickly, curious, only to be met with a questioning look. She smiled.

"Trust me," she stated, and it was only slightly asking. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Minnie nodded slowly.

Ally and Riku were out of the house before anyone even registered it.

---

"Still carrying my box of treasures, Riku-kun?"

He barely grunted his positive reply. "…Where'd my prefix go?"

"Hm?"

"My prefix. Where'd it go?"

"Was traded in for a suffix. Sounds closer than calling someone 'Mister'. More intimate," she explained. He almost stopped moving at the statement, said in a truly casual tone. The word 'intimate', in his mind, didn't go with an entirely untailored tone. For that, he was wondering if she was looking for a particular reaction. Turning his eyes to her, however, and seeing her eyes fixed on the grey sky dully, he realised that it wasn't a test.

It was just a fact to her. And because of that, it made it casual.

"Is it a _left _here?"

"Right."

"Are you certain?" she asked. He blinked.

"No. I mean, you were right, it's left." She stopped walking to look at him, and they both stared at each other for a moment or two until she blinked.

"…What?"

"…It's left."

"…Then why'd you say it's right?"

"I didn't say it was to the _right_. I said you _were_ right. It is to the _left_."

"…Well, why didn't you just say that?"

Her expression was troubled, and he grunted slightly.

"Stupid moment."

"Hn."

He turned to her, about to reprimand her on the grunted response she often told _him _not to give, only to find her with a small smile on her lips, eyes directed at the ground. For that – her temporary light-heartedness, and the childish innocence he hadn't seen in her before throughout any of their flirting, rivalry, or friendship – he merely smiled to himself and turned his gaze back to the road in front of him.

The rest of their walk was in silence, nothing but the sound of their footsteps and their soft, steady breathing penetrating the quiet of the hushed town. That is – until they found the corner they were looking for.

"…It's gone…" Riku commented quietly.

"…_It?_"

"Well, they were wearing a full-body cloak, not figure-fitting at all," he said. "Couldn't tell if it were a he or she. Ergo – _it_."

"Hmm. Well, I say _not _gone, and _he _is laying on the roof up there listening to us talking. Because he's nosey."

There was a small clutter and then a tile from the roof of the building she turned to look at smashed on the ground in front of them. "Dammit, Ally, how'd you know it was me?"

And _he_, familiar voice, familiar stance, dropped to the ground in front of them, after the smashed tile, arms crossed over his chest stubbornly.

"You looked at the camera for a fraction of a second," she replied bluntly. "Something threw light in your eyes. Even just for a moment, I saw silver. Tough luck."

"Dammit," he said, and then he pulled back his hood. They were faced with black hair and brown eyes, and Riku couldn't help but sigh. "You got me."

"Always do, Zero," she replied with a smirk. "Always do. What can I do for you?"

"_I_," Zero explained matter-of-factly after a moment, "am here to join the fray. Couldn't miss it. Not for the world."

"Who're you kidding, Zee, you just couldn't get by in life without a good dose of ass-kicking," she replied dryly, and Riku and Zero both smiled.

"True, true… But I'm here for your protection as well, kit," he said. "You know I'll help with any of your problems, you just have to say so. Not to mention, I'll have to do all the dirty work for you – you know you can't do this yourself."

Ally frowned, and Riku wondered briefly what the 'dirty work' they were discussing was. She sighed after a moment, nodding slightly.

"You know me," she said. "Couldn't kill them if I tried."

"They're your family, Ally, you can't be blamed. It doesn't matter if they were wrong with how they treated you to begin with, to end with – they're all still your family."

"Who's your main target?" Ally deadpanned, and by then Riku had realised they were talking about the other chasers. Zero smiled guiltily, noting he'd been caught out for pre-planning.

"The Mentalist."

"…At least you're thinking strategically instead of 'how much chaos can I create today'."

"Give me _some _credit," he said. "Would've taken Cyclops or The Wind Scythe dude, but they're both dead, so… Anyway, it wound up being a question of Skye the Mentalist, or Andre the Puppetmaster. Because, like you told me once, a long, long time ago – they're both the two most controlling, manipulative bastards in your little clique."

"Mentalist?" Riku asked quietly, and Ally glanced at him.

"Skye can… hypnotise people, in a way. He does things to peoples minds, you could say," she explained. "There was this crime show back home called the Mentalist. Everyone thought the main guy – 'the Mentalist' – was psychic. He was just heaps observant and intense, so he could make people do things."

"You watched _crime_ shows?"

"Didn't want to. Hated them – all but one, anyway, but that one was the only crime show ever that actually had any success with humour in it. Their forensic scientist spent an entire episode trying to figure out who ate her cupcake. Was pretty awesome."

There was a short silence between the three of them. Then Ally blinked, before continuing.

"Anyway! You know how Organisation XIII had all their nicknames related to talents and themes and stuff? Well, let's just say they were copying bastards. I kind of just started forgetting all ours somewhere around my sixth century mark."

"…So?"

"The ones I remember? Well, Andre's the Puppetmaster – no duh. Skye was the Mentalist. Durham was the Wind Scythe – another no duh-er. Don't really remember Zeke's, but we all just wound up calling him Cyclops anyway… Christian was the Creator – what, with the transfigurable matter and all that. Anika, my sister in-law, had Christian as the husband with no style, and got called the Gunslinger…"

She paused thoughtfully.

"…In her defence, she was the best shot I've ever known. Pretty badass, if I do say so myself," she continued. "Although, how she became one of us when she married _in_ to the family is completely beyond me, I've no idea. No idea what the rest of them were, sadly. I forgot."

Riku was silent for several minutes before he made to ask another question.

"If Anika married in, how were you related to Julian?"

She blinked and exchanged a look with Zero.

"What? Do you think I…" she trailed off for a minute before an appalled expression crossed her face. "No, _no_ – Julian wasn't my… He's Christian's son, my _nephew_."

There was silence for several seconds, and then Zero snorted loudly.

"And you thought she married him," he commented, clearly humoured.

"Nope," Ally explained. "Don't get me wrong – Julian was always such a sweetie, but _ew_. 'Sides, not only did everything burn at his touch, but he would've been… I don't know, twenty years younger than me at the time?"

"_At the time_?"

"Well, we don't always come back at the same time. Rebirthing is a very imprecise action." She pouted. "He's a year or two older than me this time. Closer to his dad's age now. Zero, are you coming with us, or doing some hectic ghosting job on your own?"

"Eh? …I'm undecided, currently. Think I'll just go walkabout for a little while until the shimmering vortex of doom appears, and then I'll make up my mind."

"Fair enough. Good luck," she said, giving the immortal man a quick hug before he returned her farewell with a nod and turned to bugger off down the road. Riku and Ally stood in silence for several minutes after he disappeared, and then she jumped slightly. "To the Bailey we go!" she announced, adding on in a less enthusiastic tone, "…again…"

Riku grunted slightly, following after her with the wooden chest still in his arms.

---

"What do you know, Leon? He _didn't _die before we saw him again!"

Sora winced slightly, then looked back up to her, Yuffie, the high-pitched ninja. She and Leon were standing before him while he sat, head in his hands, elbows on his knees, suffering of a decision-induced headache. He sniffed.

"Not quite," he said quietly. "I was eaten by a giant squid… thing…" He took a breath. "So I was dead, for a little while."

"How long, exactly?" Leon asked suspiciously. Sora shrugged.

"Dunno. Two or three weeks. Maybe a month. It was a while ago, I suppose."

"Two or three _weeks_?"

"Hmm. I would guess so. I was kind of drunk at the time."

There was silence, a lot of simultaneous accusatory glaring. Then Leon's voice cut through the silence again, and Sora could only smirk, laughing silently to himself.

"…You _idiot_…"

---

"So what are we watching for again?"

"An interdimensional temporal space fluctuation portal," Ally replied, looking up to Riku as he deadpanned in response.

There was a pause. He shrugged.

Ally blinked. "Big shimmery vortex."

"Oh."

Then she went back to shuffling through the wooden chest on her lap while she sat on one of the pane less windows of the Bailey for the second time that day. Riku watched her quietly from the opposing wall, even as she pulled a keychain from the chest, stared at it thoughtfully for a moment, and put it back.

She did this a dozen times or so before she found one that she seemed to like, sliding the ring at the end of the chain on one of her fingers quickly. He thought she'd stop there, having found what she was looking for. Apparently, she was still undecided, however, as she kept searching through her box.

She closed it when she had four wrapped around her fingers. Then she flexed her hand thoughtfully, watching the lights shine off the different chains.

One was a small black and blue shell – both pretty and creepy looking at the same time. The second was what appeared to be a cats-eye marble, the third, something resembling a chibi anime figure.

The fourth, by far the most interesting to him, was a small disk of metallic black metal that had been crafted into sharp, crossing lines and Celtic designs. It was this that immediately and fully drew his attention, and even seemed to pulse in her fingertips as he watched.

He blinked, spell broken, even as she twisted her hand suddenly, staring at the black metal keychain. A small smile twisted onto her lips.

"I _thought_ so," she said, and the next moment she slid it from her finger and held her hand out to him, eyes still glued to the other three. He hesitated for a moment, then pushed himself off from the wall, walking over to take the chain from her outstretched hand, brushing his fingers against hers for a fraction of a second.

The electric pulse than ran between them almost made him jump.

She tensed, apparently having felt it too. There was a quick intake of breath before she was on her feet, arms around him. He froze, surprised, even as she started talking to him.

"Please, please, please, _please_ don't get hurt," she murmured, and it took him a moment to realise she was pleading. He blinked again, moving his arms around her shoulders.

"What are you-"

"Just promise," she insisted. "Promise me you won't get hurt. Promise me you'll do what I tell you, and leave when I say. _Please_…"

"Shh," he said quietly, trying to calm her down for a moment.

"Promise me," she said, and this time her tone was hardened and ordering, in a way. She moved to look up at him, and he half-smiled at the look she gave him – she was moulding him and he knew it.

"I promise," he told her, and she stared at him for a moment, right into his eyes, making sure he meant it. Then she moved to take the hand of his with the new keychain in it, three still hanging from the fingers of her other hand, box discarded on the stone sill behind her.

"Fractured Thought," she said, holding his hand up gently. "It'll protect you." He frowned at the thought of needing protecting. She glared at his frown.

"…How?"

"My dear Riku," she explained quickly. "It was made for _you. _A very long time ago. It's never been used because it waited for you."

"Why?"

"Some chains only work for a particular person," she replied. "This one, I made, for you." She paused for a moment, getting a devilish grin, then leant in to whisper once more in his ear, matter-of-factly, making him turn bright red. "You are _mine_, after all."

And then she turned around to snap the chest of keychains shut, flexing her chain-covered hand idly.

"Okie dokie," she started brightly, staring out over the canyon boredly. "Lock 'n' load, my friend." She drew her keyblade with her free hand, and Riku watched with confusion as she brought up the other chains quickly and fiddled with them, adding them onto the end of her keyblade idly.

"…What are you doing?" he asked quietly. She turned her violet eyes back to his quickly, questioning, and he pointed at her keyblade – all three keychains joined with Shades of Grey. She blinked. "I thought you couldn't do that."

"Combine keychains?" she asked. Then she snorted. "No, no, you _can_ – it's just…" she trailed off thoughtfully. "Not recommended. Sporting more chains than one puts too much strain on the blade – it uses so much force trying to support the different forms that it's easier to break."

"…And you're fine with that risk?"

"Oh, Riku," she sighed. "So naïve. The extra strength is worth it – for me, anyway. I'm better with my staff, so if it _does _break, it won't have the greatest of all effects. I'll just have to offload my collection of chains on someone else."

"…Does it just stay looking like Shades of Grey?"

In reply, she flicked her wrist, causing a flash of light to span the length of her blade. What he saw when it subsided was, possibly, the most terrifying sword he'd ever seen – a mess of dark colours and sharp lines, and fiery shadows around the hilt.

"What the-"

"Shades of Grey, Reflection of a Sound, True Sight, and Bitter Shadow – represented by Uchiha Sasuke, of course, in chibi figurine design. All connected in this beautiful, deathly weapon."

"Making?"

"Dunno? Grey Sound, Bitter Sight? Who cares? As long as it kicks Vera's ass, who gives a damn?"

"No, making what the hell kind of power?"

"Let's just say it's one big freakin' sword, right?" she asked with a strange glimmer to her eyes, and he sighed his defeat. There was several moments of silence between them and then she shot over to the window-like part of the Bailey to stare out into the plains.

She chuckled somewhat evilly, and he, curious, walked over to look out too. The air, about two kilometres away from them, was shimmering oddly, making everything in the distance waver. It was like a giant heatwave, a gargantuan mirage – except with the occasional black swirl of smoky darkness in the midst of it all. And to be honest, it was _creepy_.

"Hello _Houston_, we have a _portal_."

* * *

Oh, I'm buzzing. Madina Lake might be coming back to Aus in about six months for a club tour. Makes me very happy. Wanted to see them for three years, and I still haven't because they only ever do friggin' Soundwave and mum doesn't let me go.

**RikuLover211: **'rai! You DID catch up. I took two MONTHS to update this. Makes me laugh. It took that long to finish my chapter. Hahahaha...

**Holly Skyla Hart: **terrible. Really, really terrible.

**Krystal Lily Potter: **I've actually googled myself - both my nickname and my real name, and both came up with something (but yeah, that says I have a lot of spare time). So, my music myspace comes up for 'Nicole Haering', and the definition of 'Peaf' is, apparently, a warm liquid, eg. milk. I laughed. Now my nickname count upped again - Milk is on the list. 'Tis great. Exactly why Riku wasn't worried. He's a) smart enough, and b) trusting enough to know that there's no point in making a big deal over the death of the king. Had to make Sora a jerk-face. If I didn't it just wouldn't have the same catch. Yeah, but Kairi also thinks Sora's being unreasonable, so she'd rather stick with the rest of her mates than put up with his shitty attitude. I PUT BROOMS IN! ...no fire, though. It took me two months to do this. Two whole months. Like... wow... NOT A BILLION AND ONE! ONLY TWO! LET'S SEE YOU RETORT THAT WITHOUT YOUR SQUIRRELS! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ...unless they're out of hibernation now or something.

**Sakkee: **Well, assuming I finish the next chapter sometime before July, big battle scene next chapter. Whatever happens then is a mystery to you. And me. And everyone else (oh the joys of not planning). Big evil funky guy killed Mickey. (Vicariously, of course).

**Ace31592: **...I think I added you. But that was two months ago, so heh. Two months for me to update. Sad, really.

**Only Lotte: **Phew. All my long update times. And this chapter was only have the length of the last one. Ha! Well, as long as you didn't get a headache... Went to Hollow Bastion, because Hollow Bastion is the centre of all evil in the universe. Ally's going to fight the big evil guy - Vasaar - and Sora doesn't have to come because he's being frickin' lame. Dayum to you too.

**Zeromaru Chaos Mode: **the extent of our netspeak has turned into our emails. Hmm. *hugs*. Dunno why, either, just felt like it.

**Bloodcherry: **glad I catch your attention so. It was like a semi-flame, so I was kind of semi-pissed off. The rest of me just always wants to sleep. :) I saw twilight five times, thought it was pretty good (though the two leads and the effects sucked), but I still ripped it anyway. Have you HEARD Rob Pattinson singing? It's just like he's going "nmyehmnnmmnn..." at varying pitches. JASPER WAS GREAT! What the heck are YOU talking about? Breaking Dawn was shit. The quality of all of the books kind of just downspiralled the more she wrote. Hn. Ja ne.

**A-Dizzle: **...Yeah, I couldn't understand who either of them were through nicknames two months ago, and I still can't now. First year for me I've ever seeked to change. WHEN I FINISHED THE CHAPTER IT WAS AROUND ONE IN THE MORNING, FOR GOD'S SAKE!!! When I posted, it was, like, nine hours later. AUSTRALIA! I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA!!

**HesitantPen13: **I do that, you know. Run around screaming WOOOOOOOO when I'm on severe sugar high. I didn't get a hurry up review this time. :( Tear-worthy, almost. I will spel however I want to, thankyou very much. Pheer my bad spelling, thx?

**thexlightxwithinxthexdarkness: **I made him mean. Wouldn't have the same ring to it if I didn't. I 3 Paramore. :)


	38. The End Of The World

Disclaimer: oh woo. I'm not dead! I'm just bored with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 38.**

"Are you sure you won't die from going into that?"

She sighed. "Riku, Riku, Riku, Riku…" she said, shaking her head all the while. "What have I said about my dying before?"

"That you can't unless it's your birthday."

She made a buzzing sound, standing in the middle of the plains and staring at the vortex in front of them that was getting darker and darker as they stood there.

"Nope, wrong," she called dryly. "I just _don't _die. I still can. And what day is it today, Riku?"

"…Wednesday?"

"…Well… yes… but not what I was thinking of, really. It's my Unbirthday today."

"…Unbirthday…?"

"Don't sound so condescending," she snapped, crossing her arms. "It's my Unbirthday, and I won't die today – not in a portal."

"How do you _know_?"

"I have _faith_. And you. That's all I'll need." He coughed slightly, causing her to roll her eyes. "Oh yeah," she said. "I really did just say that. You can do the whole blushing-in-embarrassed-silence thing now. I think it's cute on you." He coughed again, and she giggled. Then she muttered to herself, crossing her arms and staring at the portal. "Emo boys. Never lose their appeal…"

There was several minutes of silence while they stared at the portal before Riku untied his tongue and spoke up.

"Are we going in?"

"No," she scoffed simply. He furrowed his brow.

"But you said-"

"Oh yes, we will be going through that," she reassured simply. "Just not yet." She frowned to herself thoughtfully and started searching her pockets again. "We're waiting for Christian, Zero, and Roxas," she said. "When they get here, then I go."

"And Sora?"

"That's up to him," she said simply. "What he's to decide is blurry at the moment. He's still confused. He's not ready to ignore particular… _aspects_ of our situation."

There was no doubt that she was talking about the king's untimely death. She interrupted that train of though when she pulled what appeared to be another keychain out of her right leg pocket and lifted her hands to the sky in a movement that very much resembled a star jump.

"_Found it_!" she exclaimed victoriously. "Aha! …Knew I was forgetting something. Major artillery, too. How very, very stupid of me."

"…Do you really _need_ another keychain?" Riku asked dully, and she snorted.

"It's not a keychain," she said, and her still-raised arms fell back to her sides while her feet were still spaced more than shoulder's-width apart. "It's my Christmas present. From Santa. And it's feckin' awesome."

"…'Feckin'?"

"'Scuse my Australian." Riku sighed slightly. Ally grinned, drawing her staff in a large flash of light. Riku blinked, feeling a wave of sudden comprehension.

"You're kidding me."

"I often joke," she said softly, matter-of-factly, and almost as though she wasn't really paying attention, while she fiddled with the chain and a spot near the grip on her staff. He rolled his eyes at her automatic response. "I do not kid. …'Sides, Riku, you can change your stupid-looking giant _keys_, why not do something interesting with _other _magical weapons."

As soon as she said it, he realised it should've been thought of before.

"My foolishness," he said. "Apologies."

She stopped moving entirely and lifted her eyes up to look at him, disbelieving. "When did we step back into ancient-formal-speak, Riku-kun?" He blinked at her and she frowned in response. Then she shook her head, and then her staff, causing a light to span the wooden length.

When the light cleared she broke into laughter, shaking violently at what she held in her hands. Riku stared, shocked, until she raised the staff to the air and yelled out.

"Universe, I give you, the North Pole!" she exclaimed gleefully, clearly humoured. "It looks like a giant, straight, metal _candy cane_!!!" Riku shook his head quietly at her and laughed under his breath. "Now, big metal stick of the wishing man, let's see how you do! What do I want you to be?"

She pulled a thoughtful face for several moments before twirling the staff once. Once again, light spanned the staff's length – a bright purple shine this time. When it subsided the staff was less than a third of it's original length, and it was mostly a somewhat dark, shiny metal. Riku wondered at the odd cut of each end for a moment before Ally's face lit up with a somewhat fierce look, and she let out an evil chuckle. He guessed she'd pressed a button of some sort, as a beam of purple light drew out of each end.

She gave the new 'staff' an experimental twirl, resounding in an odd sweeping, buzzing sound.

"Oh, Zero's going to find this hilarious," she commented. "Darth Maul, eat your heart out. I have officially _pwned_ your lightsaber design." She grinned. "As long as I don't chuck an Anakin-slash-Luke Skywalker and get my arm cut off, I should do pretty well!"

And as if on cue, Zero appeared beside them, closely followed by Ally's older brother. The both of them stared at Ally and the double-sided 'lightsaber' in her hands for a moment before cracking up, even to the point of Zero falling to the ground in laughter. Riku just sighed – at both their sudden appearance and the inside humour they found in Ally's new staff.

"I always thought you were a nerd, Ally, but this is too much," Zero announced through thick laughter. Christian was clutching at his stomach while he chuckled, his laughter causing him pain.

"I told you watching those movies would only do bad things," he supplied quickly. Ally giggled.

"So you say," she replied simply. "But don't forget – I'm the one holding the big laser staff. Fear me."

It still took the two of them some time to sober up, and even then they let out quiet chuckles whenever they saw her.

"Sora made up his mind yet?" Ally asked dryly, her eyes locked on Christian's face curiously as the lightsaber disappeared from her hand. Christian pursed his lips.

"No," he answered curtly. "The boy's still in his irrational post-grieving stage. I don't know if he'll choose before we're gone or not."

"Will it matter?"

"Whether or not it would affect the outcome, I can't see," Christian said.

"And Anika?"

Christian smiled softly. "Anika's long gone, little sister. I hope to see her again when I'm done with the worlds. Truly a day to look forward to." Zero clapped the older man on the shoulder heavily.

"Don't you turn emo on us, Chris," he said sternly. "Not now. Save it for when we're done with this. You can rest then."

"That's nice," Christian replied, deadpanning.

"What can I say, my mind's always on the job!" Zero commented airily, grinning. Ally and Christian exchanged a flat look and Christian put a hand to his forehead, even as Ally crossed her arms.

"..._I_ wouldn't say that," she muttered dryly. Zero merely grinned. Before the conversation could continue, the sound of hurried footsteps came up behind them, and all four of them turned around. Ally leant back from what she saw, blinking profusely as if momentarily blinded. "Total overload on the blonde," she commented weakly.

Riku chuckled, putting a hand on her shoulder to right her, ignoring Zero's cursory glare in his direction. In seconds Ally was back to her own self, loud in greeting.

"ROXY-POO!" she yelled, and the male blonde visibly winced, coming to a stop several meters away with Naminé at his side. "Took your bloody time. Should've been here hours ago. I've been waiting for you for _ages_."

"Nice to see you too," he said dryly, and she chuckled darkly to herself in reply. "Sorry I'm late. Apparently I'm not the only one."

Christian glanced around thoughtfully, exchanging a look with Ally before she answered, letting out a huge sigh.

"No, no," she reassured breezily. "All present and accounted for."

"You're kidding," Naminé said dully, disbelieving. Ally frowned, looking to Riku, and he shook his head, agreeing with her thoughts. His jaw clenched for a moment before he answered the common thought.

"If they're not here by now, they're not coming," he said. "Because Kairi only goes where Sora goes, and apparently he's not decided to go here." Ally grunted before saying something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'oh, he's talking like me…' Before anyone could ask whether that was indeed what was said, though, another voice rang around them and they all turned to look behind Roxas and Naminé.

"Maybe you should check before you speak."

"Mister Sora!" Ally exclaimed with a small smile, watching as he dropped to the ground beside them, seeming slightly troubled (though, evidently not so much that it hindered his ability to fly). Kairi landed gently beside him, looking pleasantly satisfied. "Come to join us, I see."

"Joining, yeah," he replied bitterly, seeming to rethink the course of action distastefully. "Doesn't mean I trust you."

"When, in the entire time since I met you, have I ever asked you to do something so brutally naïve?" Ally scoffed. She glanced at Riku. "You either. And frankly, your faith disconcerts me, Riku-kun."

"Can you save this until after the battle, kit?" Zero asked dryly, and she turned her gaze on him, surveying him blankly as he came to stand beside her.

"Zero, you know I love you more'n anything, and you complete me, and all the cliché jazz we live for," she reassured him simply. "And I have the utmost faith in you to catch me when I'm falling and save me when I'm beyond the realm of being saved. But I think there's parts of this that you and I both know are going to come to pass, and sucking it up right now to see me how you used to might help."

"I digress."

"I know you do."

"What are you two talking about?" Sora asked frustratedly, glaring at the both of them. Ally merely stared at him, her gaze rather dull, and Zero went so far as to poke out his tongue at the younger man.

"Nothing of your concern," Ally told him simply. "It's to do with being immortal. It won't impact you in the slightest."

They stared at each other for a moment, both cold, and then Zero interrupted the silence.

"I call Julian."

Ally laughed silently to herself, closing her eyes and putting a hand to her forehead.

"Just don't let him touch you," she reminded him. "And make it quick. I don't want my little nephew to suffer. Christian?"

"I'll take Sleven and Skye. I'll try to minimise the damage – there's still potential to salvage them, after all," he replied. "I recommend that Zero takes Andre."

"_Why_!?" Ally thundered. "Because I _swear_, if it's just because you don't want him to beat on a girl-"

"You'll slip up."

"Screw you, Chris. That bitch is _mine_. Andre's had it coming to him from the very beginning," she rattled off quickly. Riku put a hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention and shaking his head slightly.

"I'll take Andre," he offered simply, and she blinked at the steel in his eyes before smiling cruelly.

"Are you going to make him suffer, Riku?" she asked sweetly. He sniffed. "Good enough for me. _Fine_, I _guess_ I can take Miranda. She was always so cool though. Best cousin ever, seriously. Guess Zero can take Blair and Havek as well."

"Should be easy," the immortal man grunted out, seeming satisfied. Ally gave him a dirty look.

"Don't overrate yourself," she grumbled dryly. Then she glanced to Roxas, Sora, Kairi and Naminé. "You four we're trusting to take out the overload of common threat."

"Huh?"

"Heartless," she deadpanned. "And Nobodies. In mass, nonetheless. We'll deal with the chasers, as long as you get rid of them. Then we ruin Sera. Triple A bastard."

--

"Oh, wow, that was bad."

"You sound politely stunned, Miss Naminé."

"That's probably because never before in my existence have I actually gotten motion sickness in a portal," the blonde replied faintly, putting a hand against the cliff wall beside her, even as the black-haired girl in front of her yelped and jumped three metres to her left.

A fraction of a second later, three bodies fell out of the sky above them and crashed to the ground right where Ally had been.

"Woo," Zero exclaimed, sitting up and brushing off his jacket. "Those things get funner to ride every millennia."

"And your vocabulary gets worse just as gradually," Ally called from her spot on the cliff face, having climbed up several metres already. "I do not believe that the word 'funner' is in the dictionary, Zero-kun."

"This coming from the girl who walked around describing everything as 'fantasmagoric' for seven decades," Zero and Christian retorted simultaneously, both getting grudgingly to their feet and looking up at the girl. Riku sat up between them, glancing up at the flux in the air above them momentarily. Then he grunted slightly and rolled forward until he was against the cliff.

Just in time to avoid the three bodies that fell from nowhere.

The blonde and brunette bodies crashed rather unceremoniously to the ground. The third – Kairi – however, fell right into Zero's unsuspecting arms. He blinked once at the redheaded woman before giving her a charming grin.

"Well, hey there," he started simply, and she smiled slightly, glancing at Sora as he growled and started getting up from the ground.

"Thanks for the catch," she said. "But I'd appreciate being put down now."

Zero shrugged, putting the girl on the ground and turning back to see his black-haired chaser friend, now several metres further up the cliff-face.

"Wow, kit, you really get down to business, don't you?" he grumbled loudly, and she let out a light laugh, reaching for a higher handhold quickly and pulling herself up a few more feet.

She was about four metres from the top of the cliff by this point in time, and everyone else was looking up at her from the ground.

"Why's she going up there?" Sora asked dully, and Naminé pointed over his shoulder in reply. For that, he spun around, facing away from the brown cliff at…

…Absolutely nothing.

Taking a few tentative steps forward, he stared off into the smoky darkness, then looked down at the jagged end to the plane of the earth beneath his feet. He jumped backwards quickly when it crumbled away beneath his boots, letting out a small yell.

"She's going up there, because that's the only way left here," Christian grumbled behind him, attracting Sora's blue eyes quickly. The blonde man frowned at him and gestured towards the blackness behind him. "You know what that is?" he asked.

Sora shook his head. "Pulsating evil blackness." Christian glared at him.

"No," he said stiffly, walking over to the edge and looking down like Sora had. "This is, literally, the end of the world." Sora snorted, earning another glare.

"Prove it," he challenged stiffly, and Christian growled.

"Fine."

The next thing Sora knew, he was hanging upside down over the 'end of the world', held up only by one of Christian's hands around his right ankle. The man lowered him beneath the edge, exposing to the brunette boy the completely flat underside of the 'world', about half a metre beneath where he'd been standing moments before. The mostly flat underground stretched on several kilometres into the distance from where he was.

"Take a look, Wonder Boy," Christian told him stiffly. "And if you don't believe me, then I can drop you, and you can find out exactly where it is that gravity here takes you." Christian lowered him another two inches, just to prove that the threat wasn't unfounded. "Where that is, I can't be certain. But I'm sure it'll just be a great deal of _fun_ for you to find out."

"Oh-kay," Sora replied slowly, carefully. "I've got your point, can you put me down now?"

Christian growled slightly, but moments later saw Sora pale-faced but back on his own two feet beside the cliff face and in front of the rest of the group.

"Essentially, our world was destroyed," Christian explained roughly, looking up the cliff after his sister, even as she dragged herself over the top of it. "But, provided you look hard enough, sometimes you can find pieces of it just floating around the universe. This is one of them."

Ally stuck her head back over the edge of the cliff, slightly dirt-smeared, and with an evident grin.

"Hey Chris!" she called out. "We have a visitor!"

And a mouse head joined her at the top of the cliff.

"Hey guys!" came the all too familiar voice of Mickey Mouse, and Sora furrowed his brow, staring up at the mouse and the girl in confusion, evidently troubled. The call of the king's death had hit them days ago, and now he was looking down at them from the top of the cliff. "Where're Donald and Goofy?"

No one answered, although several glances were thrown around between the small party of heroes. Ally grinned down at them all wickedly, eyes locked smugly on Sora in particular.

"I do believe an 'I told you so' is very much in order."

* * *

So sorry this took so long, but I bore easily. Frankly, I'm surprised I ever got to chapter fifteen. Thirty-seven was a fantastic effort on my part. Uh… I _will _finish this. It'll just take a really, really, really long time. Sorry, bet you don't even remember me…

**NekoPeeparific: **I'd normally take your penname as a reference to Peeps. Habit. Same birthday? Fawesome!  
**FallOutBoyFan: **Oh, yeah, previously ChaosOfShadows and The American Idiot. You change your penname a lot, friend. I don't remember when the last time you reviewed was (I don't remember when the last time I posted was, lol, so that's not surprising) so you'll be hard pressed. Sorry, but I'm still lazy, just a bit older...  
**RikuLover211: **_This _update took a record of four months. Maybe more. Wow. Scary.  
**The Keyblade War's-Veteran: **Havek has been mentioned. I don't know if I'll actually pen him in, but he's been given recognised life in the story, so...  
**Starlee.: **Well, HB suffers most evil attacks and stuff, so... I like writing Sora as lame. Means I can have him character-bashed for a little while, and seeing as how I haven't been in the most forgiving mood for the past year, that works well. So. Changed your penname too?  
**Bloodcherry: **Heard Rob Pattinson sing yet? Still solidly THE funniest thing I've heard, apart from the ringtone of a stoned smurf. Very funny. Jasper r teh rate awesome O.o!  
**A-dizzle: **Honestly? I hate Australia. I've lived here all my life, and it's a fantastic place and all (apart from everything being out to get you and all, y'know?), but after almost sixteen years, I'm so over it. I'm making plans to move to Canada after I finish my HSC, so...  
**AkaMizu-chan: **Dude. I'm so over this. I really am. If I'm lucky, I'll finish it before Christmas, lol, and that's only two or three more chapters.  
**Zeromaru Chaos Mode: **Have you noticed how hard it is to keep up a reviewer note between us? I think it's because we talk all the time now. XDD!!  
**Krystal Lily Potter: **And you thought you'd die from shock at the LAST post. Pfft. Pretty sure you had a heart attack when you saw my update... Because you spelt 'brooms' with three 'o's, it came up as 'broms'. Stupid word-filter. Doesn't even fix actual spelling mistakes. Sora's PMSing because he's dealing with grief and blaming Ally for Mickey's death. But Mickey's alive, so now he can't. I already know I'm lazy, so that was SO not a burn XD. Still calling me Milk, KayKay? Those squirrels got bored, and now they're out for blood. However, my amazing army of sea urchins has quadrupled in the last four months, and so has recruited the use of three Japanese submarines and an American Naval base (along with all the assets it contains), and subsequently, the two opposing factions have been waging war just off the east coast of Iceland for the past three weeks. Go figure.  
**Maixcell: **Don't expect a faster update - just saying. I should really have been cracking down on my yr10 workload when I forced myself to write this. Torture either way, but I considered it the lesser of two evils...

Anyone else watch Chuck? I'm in love with it. Thus the uptake on oneshots in the fandom. XD!

So, who's going to cyber-murder me first?


End file.
